Berry squares loaded with fresh huckleberries

Dear Readers: Some time ago, a reader asked for a recipe for Huckleberry Squares. I was unable to locate such a recipe, but now Ruth Haglund from Spokane has come to the rescue. Haglund passed along this recipe recently, which she says she enjoyed while visiting a relative in Island Park, Idaho. She reports that it comes from the “Rocky Mountain Berry Book.” It’s a keeper.

Huckleberry Squares

From “Rocky Mountain Berry Book”

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour, plus a little extra for coating berries

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups huckleberries

1 cup chopped walnuts

Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Let cool. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and add to egg mixture. Coat huckleberries with a little flour and stir gently into the mixture along with the chopped walnuts. Bake in a 9 1/2 -by-11-inch greased pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Note: The batter is very dense, as it is made without milk or other liquid.

Yield: 20 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 198 calories, 8.8 grams fat (3.2 grams saturated, 40 percent fat calories), 3.6 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 161 milligrams sodium.

Dear Laura: Thank you for trying to locate the recipe I wanted for chocolate drop cookies. The recipe you sent is delicious, although it is not the one I had lost. I was fortunate to locate the original. … My son had it all along. I am sending my recipe. It is really like little brownie bites. — Dorothy, Hayden, Idaho

Dear Dorothy: Thanks so much for passing this recipe along. With the holidays fast approaching, I’m sure this will be a popular treat on many tables.

Brownie Drops

From Baker’s Chocolate

2 bars Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Melt chocolate and butter over hot water. Stir and cool. Beat eggs until foamy, then add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat until thickened, 5 minutes. Blend in chocolate. Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Blend, then stir in vanilla and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven, until cookies feel “set” when very lightly touched, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Yield: 36 cookies

Approximate nutrition per serving: 51 calories, 2.7 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated, 47 percent fat calories), less than 1 gram protein, 6.3 grams carbohydrate, 13 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 19 milligrams sodium.

Dear Laura: A recipe for freezing peaches using pectin was published a long time ago. The recipe was yummy. I can’t find my copy and my husband just brought home three boxes of Wenatchee peaches. Help. — Sue, Spokane

Dear Sue: I didn’t find a recipe in the newspaper’s archives, but I spoke with Elaine Mayes of the Washington State University Cooperative Extension office, who suggested I let readers know about the National Center for Home Food Preservation, based in Georgia. The center’s Web site is loaded with helpful information on canning and freezing. If you have a question about preserving the summer’s bounty, check it out at www.uga.edu/nchfp/

Here’s a simple recipe for a low-sugar pectin syrup that works well for freezing peaches and strawberries:

Combine 1 box of powdered pectin with 1 cup of water in a saucepan, and stir and boil 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup sugar and dissolve. Remove the pan from the heat and add cold water to make 2 cups of syrup. Chill. Put cleaned and prepared fruit in a 4- to 6-quart bowl; add enough pectin syrup to glaze the fruit with a thin film. Gently fold fruit to coat each piece with the syrup. Then package, seal and freeze promptly.