Hiker Bars

¼ Cup Olivio (or other margarine)
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Molasses
1 Egg
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
¼ Cup Unprocessed Bran
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
¼ tsp. Ginger
¼ tsp. Cloves
¾ tsp. Cinnamon
1 ¾ Cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 Cups Raisins
¾ Cup finely chopped Pecans or other nuts (optional)
Blend Margarine and Sugar completely.
Add Molasses and Egg, mix well.
Stir in Flour, Bran, Salt, Soda, and Spices – mix well.
Stir in Oats, Raisins, and nuts.
Spread out the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten to about ½ inch thick in any shape or shapes you wish and smoothe with a spatula (I make a long narrow bar shape and cut it up after baking, but you can also make cookies.)
Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 9 minutes. Cut if necessary, and remove from cookie sheet immediately. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap or foil while still warm.(Plastic wrapped can be heated before eating in a microwave 20 seconds; use foil for reheating on a woodstove.) Freeze to make them last longer. Yield: 12 bars or cookies.