CONTEST WINNERS WILD ABOUT OATS.

Oatmeal Butter Brittle Cookies, a crisp, nutty cookie that's broken into pieces just like peanut brittle, won the $10,000 grand prize for Gloria Piantek of Plainsboro, N.J., in the sixth annual Bake It Better With Oats recipe contest sponsored by Quaker Oatmeal.

The winning recipe is a variation on a bar cookie. The buttery oatmeal cookie dough is patted by hand into a thin, very large cookie right on the cookie sheet. After baking, semisweet chocolate pieces are sprinkled on top. The warm cookie softens the chocolate, making it easy to spread. To serve, the big cookie is broken into pieces of varying sizes - much like peanut brittle or toffee.

Piantek, a middle school reading teacher, bakes often and says cookies are her favorite. ``I started with the idea of a brittle because I thought it would make an unusual cookie that would also be easy,'' she noted. ``Once I began experimenting, I took my first batches into work to get everyone's reaction. They loved the taste, and they liked being able to choose the size piece.''

Italian Herbed Oatmeal Focaccia, with its zesty herb, dried tomato and Parmesan cheese topping, won the $2,000 muffin/bread first prize for Edwina Gadsby of Great Falls, Mont. Whole grain oats were used in place of more traditional pine nuts. This quick-mix, pat-in-the-pan oatmeal flatbread scored points for its convenience, flavor and eye appeal. It's the perfect accompaniment for soups, salads and other savory fare.

Callie Moore, 3, shares the $2,000 first prize in the just for kids category with her grandmother, Rosemarie Berger of Jamestown, N.C., for creating Pat-A-Cake Oatmeal Cookies With Sprinkle Dip. It's Callie's job to pat the cinnamon-oatmeal cookie dough in the pan and mix colorful sprinkles into the whipped topping for the dip - her favorite part.

``This recipe was inspired by one of Callie's favorite games, Pat-A-Cake,'' said Berger, a veteran baker. ``She loves oatmeal cookies, so I adapted my slice-and-bake refrigerator oatmeal cookie dough to one she can help pat in the pan.

Spirited Southern Sweet Potato Bars earned $2,000 for Larry Elder of Charlotte, N.C., in the cookie category. Three delicious layers tall, they feature an oatmeal cookie crust and an oat-pecan streusel topping, which can be made with either quick or old-fashioned oats. Mashed sweet potatoes, lightly sweetened with brown sugar, star in the flavorful filling, which gets its Southern spirit from a splash of bourbon and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Here are the winning recipes.

OATMEAL BUTTER BRITTLE COOKIES

($10,000 grand prize winner -

Gloria Piantek, Plainsboro, N.J.)

2 cups quick OR old-fashioned uncooked oats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter OR margarine, chilled

1 cup powdered sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped dry roasted OR lightly salted peanuts

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate pieces

Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.

Combine oats, flour and baking powder. Add butter; blend with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until crumbly. Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, water and vanilla. Mix until dough starts to form. Stir in peanuts.

Divide dough in half. Using first half of dough, drop by large spoonfuls onto foil-lined cookie sheet; pat evenly into 13x9-inch rectangle with lightly floured hands. Repeat using remaining dough and second cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, rotating cookie sheets after 12 minutes. Remove cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate pieces evenly over each large cookie. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes. Spread softened chocolate evenly over cookie. Cool completely. (Chill 15 minutes to set chocolate, if necessary.) Remove from cookie sheets and peel off foil. Break into pieces. Store tightly covered. Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

NOTE: For plain cookies, omit chocolate. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER COOKIE (1/48TH OF RECIPE): 130 calories; 8 grams fat; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 15 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram fiber; 45 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein.

ITALIAN HERBED OATMEAL FOCACCIA

($2,000 first prize winner,

muffin/bread category - Edwina Gadsby,

Great Falls, Mont.)

2 tablespoons cornmeal 

1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick OR old-fashioned uncooked oats

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 package (1/4 ounce) quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt 

1 cup water

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil 

4 to 6 dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; dust with cornmeal.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, oats, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, yeast, sugar and 1 teaspoon garlic salt; mix well.

In a small saucepan, heat water and 1/4 cup olive oil until very warm (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F); stir into flour mixture. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

Pat dough into prepared pan, pressing dough out to edges of pan. Using fingertips, poke indentations all over surface of dough; brush with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt. Arrange dried tomatoes across top; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake in preheated 400-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into strips or squares. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMTION PER SERVING: 190 calories; 8 grams fat; 0 cholesterol; 25 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams fiber; 190 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein.

PAT-A-CAKE OATMEAL COOKIES WITH

SPRINKLE DIP

($2,000 first prize just for kids

category - Rosemarie Berger and

Callie Moore, Jamestown, N.C.)

COOKIES:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter OR margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups quick OR old-fashioned uncooked oats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

DIP:

1 container (8 ounces) frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed (3 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup multicolored sprinkles

Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets.

For cookies, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add water and vanilla; beat well. Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Spoon 1/2 of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. With lightly floured hands, pat into a 10x12-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Repeat using remaining dough and second cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown, rotating cookie sheets after 5 minutes. Remove cookie sheets to cooling racks. Immediately cut each rectangle into 24 pieces. Transfer pieces to cooling racks; cool completely.

For dip, combine whipped topping and sprinkles; mix well. Serve cookies with dip. Store cookies tightly covered. Refrigerate leftover dip. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

NOTE: For individual cookies, drop dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Use lightly floured hands to flatten about 1/8-inch thick. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 6 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on rack. Makes about 3 dozen.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER COOKIE AND 1 TABLESPOON DIP: 90 calories; 5 grams fat; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 10 grams carbohydrate; 0 grams fiber; 55 milligrams sodium; less than 1 gram protein.

SPIRITED SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO BARS

($2,000 first prize cookie category

- Larry Elder, Charlotte, N.C.)

2 cups quick OR old-fashioned uncooked oats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter OR margarine, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potato OR canned pumpkin

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons bourbon OR 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

1 cup chopped pecans

Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Combine oats and flour; mix well. Remove 2/3 cup and add salt and red pepper; set aside for filling. To remaining oat-flour mixture, add butter, granulated sugar and vanilla; blend with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup for topping.

Press remaining mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 15 minutes; remove from oven.

In separate bowl, combine sweet potato, eggs, brown sugar, bourbon and reserved 2/3 cup oat-flour mixture; mix well. Spread filling over warm crust. Add nuts to reserved 1 cup topping mixture; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over sweet potato filling.

Bake at 375 degrees 30 to 35 minutes longer or until topping is light golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. Serve at room temperature. Store in refrigerator tightly covered. Makes 32 bars.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER BAR: 170 calories; 9 grams fat; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 23 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram fiber; 70 milligrams sodium, 2 grams protein.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Butter Brittle Cookies, a delicious cr oss between an oatmeal cookie and peanut brittle, won the $10,000 grand prize in Quaker Oatmeal's Bake It Better With Oats recipe contest.

(2) Italian Herbed Oatmeal Focaccia, with a zesty herb, tomato and cheese topping, won the $2,000 first prize in the muffin/bread category in the Bake It Better With Oats recipe contest.

(3) Pat-A-Cake Oatmeal Cookies With Sprinkle Dip, made by a grandmother and her 3-year-old granddaughter, won the $2,000 first prize in the just for kids category in the Bake It Better With Oats recipe contest.