Question for you, fellow Culinary Enthusiasts...

OK everyone,

I have a question for you. I got this recipe off the Martha Stewart show a few weeks ago. It sounded so yummy, and Martha claimed it was heart-healthy, so I gave it a whirl yesterday. It tastes delicious, but it was so crumbly! So I was wondering if any of you can look at it (or try it) and give me some pointers on how to make it not so dry. I baked it for the lowest amount of time it called for (35 minutes; I started off baking it for 30 minutes, but then it didn't quite seem done, so I put it in for 5 more minutes), so should I have baked it for even less time, or do I need to tweak the ingredients a bit to add more liquid somewhere?

Oatmeal-Raisin* Squares

* (You can substitute for the raisins any of the following: cranberries, prunes, dried apricots, blueberries, or cherries)

4 cups oats
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds (I used almonds)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl.

Melt 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter; pour over oat mixture and add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix well. Let sit while you make the filling.

Filling:
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon

Let these ingredients come to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, and then take off the burner to let cool a bit.

Pat 1/2 of the oat mixture into 9x13 pan (Martha used a glass pan, I used a tin pan; would that have anything to do with it?). Purée raisin mixture; spoon onto and spread over oat mixture. Pat rest of oat mixture on top of raisin mixture. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut with serrated knife. Makes 24 squares.

The raisin mixture made only a thin layer between the two oat layers; should I double the raisin mixture? The bottom oat layer held together nicely, but the top layer just crumbled, almost just by looking at it.

We ate this for our home evening treat just now. Everyone liked it, but we had to scrounge up a bite of vanilla ice cream to put on top to help with the dryness. So, if anyone has any tips, please send them my way, 'cause I'd love your input! Thanks in advance!

Tillamook Orange Hazelnut Cookies

Ok, I haven't actually tried this yet, but it sounded really yummy and I wanted to be sure I wrote it down somewhere before I threw away the box it came from, so that is why it is going here. If I ever do try it (sadly, Brent doesn't like nuts, so I don't often get to cook with them. Picture me crying silently to my sad self...), I'll let you know how I like it. And if any of you try it, will you do the same? If it turns out gross let me know, and I'll remove it from the blog. Thanks!

1 cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter (can you tell I got it from a package of butter?)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest from one orange (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cups flour
3 1/2 cups toasted hazelnuts or pinenuts, chopped

Cream together butter, sugars and salt. Add vanilla and zest, and beat well. Mix in flour and hazelnuts to form a soft dough. Divide dough and form into two 10-inch logs, cover with clear cling wrap and chill for 1 hour. Cut 1/4-inch-thick slices from logs. Place on a greased baking sheet 1" apart and bake at 350° for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 4 dozen.