Dried fruit is sweet, cheap and available all year round. So while the credit crunch starts to hit our food budgets why not start by saving some money by cooking some quick and easy biscuit tray bakes for desserts, snacks and packed lunches. I guarantee the whole family will love them and better still you know whats in them and can make them as nutrious as you wish. Try my families favourites.

Simple chocolate raisin brownies:

Take 100g sunflower margarine, 175g dark chocolate, 225g light muscovado sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence, 2 eggs (beaten), 175g wholemeal flour, 50g pecan nuts (chopped) and 100g raisins

Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Melt the margarine and chocolate in a large bowl, stir in the sugar and vanilla essence. Add the eggs, flour, nuts & raisins and mix together. Pour mixture into a greased and lined tin or tray and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares.

 Simple Fruit & nut bars:

Take 90g rolled oats, 100g dried apricots chopped, 75g self-raising flour, 50g light muscovado sugar, 50g roasted hazelnuts, 50g plain chocolate drops, 150g magarine and 5 tablespoons of honey

preheat your oven to 190C/gas 5. Mix oats, apricots, flour,sugar, hazelnuts and half of the chocolate drops. Melt the margarine & honey in a saucepan and then stir in the dry ingredients. Press this mixture into a greased and lined tin or tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Cool in the tin and then cut into bars. Melt remaining chocolate drops and drizzle over the bars.

Make sure you have the right equipment to make your biscuits take a look at the range of baking trays.

Send in your favourite biscuit recipe or let me know how you get on with making any of our favourites its always great to hear from you. What item of shopping have you had to strike off your shopping list to budget today?