The Ozarks...........................

The Ozarks are home to another distinctive tree, the Black Walnut.
Over half the nations black walnuts used in cooking come from the Missouri Ozarks.
Stronger tasting than the English walnut, if you've ever tasted a black walnut chances are you remember it.
 We here in the Ozarks are mostly snowed in this week. A good time to stay in and bake. This not quite cake, not quite brownie, not quite cookie recipe, is probably best described as a 'snack cake' and is good as a light dessert or for a mid-morning coffee break.
                                                                    
                                                             Ozark Treats
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coffee
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 rounded Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup black walnuts

Cream together butter and sugar, add coffee and stir till mixed. beat in egg. add dry ingredients and beat till smooth, fold in raisins and nuts (if you don't have black walnuts, English walnuts or pecans can be used)
Pour into a greased 9x9 inch pan and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.
enjoy with coffee or tea on a cold day.

This is my adaptation of a recipe that  originally came from this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Take-Hills-A-Chronicle-Ozarks/dp/1432610759
A pretty good read if your interested in the life and stories from the Ozarks. Check out your local library to see if they have it.

Some interesting facts, stories and pictures about Black walnuts:

http://www.nemahaweb.com/blackwalnuts/trees.htm

http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/bittersweet/fa79h.htm