A Lot Of Good Treats In This Little Gem By Joan Young on Nov 01, 2009 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I picked up this small Betty Crocker cookbook for $2, because I thought it had some interesting selections. I've made two of them, and both turned out perfect. Very yummy for those who can afford to eat a treat now and then.

Betty Crocker still thinks you can bake from scratch, and I am glad! I saw this little book in a seasonal display rack at Target, and one glance through it was enough to make me put it in my basket. This is full of attractive and yummy treats that use foods we associate with fall. Cranberries, Apples, Pumpkin, Carrots, and Pears are featured heavily. I love them all!

These recipes are not low fat, or low calorie. The are all breads or desserts, but they do use a lot of fruits and nuts, which makes them better than pure sugared treats.

The book starts with some tips about baking and about apples. Sort of a strange selection, but they are all good things to remember. The recipes are in four sections: Muffins and Quick Breads, Lunchbox Treats (cookies), Desserts, Halloween Goodies.

I was pleased to see that there were a number of ideas that weren't just the same old recipes with new pictures. I am really anxious to try Ginger-Carrot-Nut Bread, and Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie.

So far we have made Pumpkin- Cranberry Muffins, and Cranberry-Apricot Bars. The muffins are so good that we had to freeze the rest so that we wouldn't just gobble them down. The bars are excellent too, but very sweet.

The final section is cute ideas for Halloween treats for kids. These are mostly cute ways to decorate desserts to fit with the theme of the holiday, but parents can always use a new idea or two! (See the picture of the cover for an example).

There are a lot of times that I don't get two really good recipes out of a book that costs five times as much as this one did, so I'm really pleased.

A Betty Crocker book