AUBURN — Jan Conant, owner of the Hungry Yankee Moose, has always had an affinity for moose. “They’re so homely, they’re cute!” she said, and has felt that way whether she was creating them out of wood or using them as a logo for her successful food businesses.

After years of providing child care, she first used her affection for moose as the inspiration for making wooden moose ornaments, and hired a sales rep that set up a market for her at gift shops throughout New England. After wearing out three different scroll saws in the process, she decided to shift gears. Running her new product idea past the sales rep and receiving positive reaction, she changed track completely and put together her first cookbook, the “Maine Hungry Moose Cookbook.”

Designed for Maine tourists to take home as useful gifts or practical souvenirs, the cookbook includes 400 recipes all named after Maine cities and towns, and is peppered with moose and Maine trivia.

“The recipes are ones I’ve collected over the years,” she said. Some of them were based on recipes printed on the backs of food packages, which manufacturers include in the hopes that you will buy their products. She would modify them slightly to create her own variations. Years later, “I can’t tell you where most of them came from,” she added.

She shows off one of her most treasured items: an old wooden recipe box that belonged to her husband’s grandmother, Ruth Berry Conant. Some of those recipes, hand-written by Ruth, were included in the book, along with some from her own mother and mother-in-law.

One thing led to another, she said, and she soon began producing a line of cookie, brownie and bread mixes. She decided to keep her moose theme, and her daughter, Heidi, designed the “hungry moose” logo when she was 21. Conant has operated as a home-based business for eight years, and believes she may be on the brink of contracting with a co-packer, a company to make and package the mixes to her specifications.

She currently offers 10 different mixes, with the Chocolate “Moose” Cookie Mix earning the designation as her most popular. The Wheat Beer Bread and the Coffee Cake mixes come in a close second, she said. All you need to do is add the eggs and any wet liquids, and voila! Fresh baked goods, hot out of the oven!

One of the most notable things about Conant’s mixes is the lack of preservatives and “mystery” ingredients. “My mixes are just how you’d make them at home. There are no ingredients you won’t recognize.” This is an extra perk for those with sensitivities to MSG or other processed food ingredients.

Conant shared her recipe for a Master Mix you make ahead and store in an air-tight container. It is perfect for busy moms or those inclined to spend less time in the kitchen (all in favor, please raise your hand!). With just a few simple additions, you can quickly whip up a batch of one of the four variations she included.

From her cookbook, Conant shared two of her favorite recipes: Porter Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies and Orrington Oatmeal Rolls, which she said are always a huge hit when she serves them.

(By the way, I met Conant at the farmers’ market in March at the Auburn Public Library, her first time as a market vendor. I was immediately drawn to the chocolate chip cookie samples she had on display. I left with a mix to experiment with, which was soon well-received at a morning coffee I hosted. But for some reason, no matter what I do, I am blessed with thin, flat cookies. Conant graciously advised me to mix in an additional heaping tablespoon of flour. “It gives them more volume,” she said. “I find for baking,” she added, “that margarine works better than butter. You might have more success!”)

Conant’s next endeavor will be a cookbook for children. With the assistance of her 7-year-old granddaughter, Ariel, they have tested each recipe to make sure it is easy and child-friendly. Conant said “The Hungry Maine Moose Kids Cookbook” will include fun things that kids like to eat, and activities such as word searches and coloring pages that will “give kids a feel for what Maine is like.”

“Kids just naturally like to cook,” she said, and she considers cooking a fun way to present “learning opportunities.” As an example, she pointed out learning how to measure ingredients is a great way for children to learn about fractions.

The Hungry Yankee Moose mixes typically retail at $5.95 per package, and are currently available at 163 stores throughout New England (with the Kittery Trading Post among them) and by mail order. Look for Conant this summer at farmers’ markets in Falmouth, Cumberland and Freeport. For more information, go to www.hungryyankeemoose.com.

Recipes

Make up a batch of Conant’s Master Mix when you have time. When you are ready to bake a batch of cookies, just add a few simple ingredients to the master mix and in a matter of minutes you will have warm, cookies fresh out of the oven. Make a large batch of dry mix, and store it in a sealed, air-tight container for up to six months. 

(Conant demonstrates how to make and use the master mix at www.sunjournal.com.)

Master Mix

5 cups of flour

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

Combine these ingredients in your sealed container.

When ready to make cookies, beat in mixing bowl:

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups master mix

— For chocolate chip cookies: Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to dough and beat to combine.

— For chocolate chip oatmeal cookies: Add 1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to 2 cups master mix; stir with spoon. Add to egg, butter and vanilla along with 1 cup milk chocolate chips; beat to combine.

— For chocolate peanut butter cookies: Add 1/8 cup of baking cocoa to 2 cups master mix, stir with spoon. Add to egg, butter and vanilla along with 1 cup of peanut butter chips; beat to combine.

— For oatmeal raisin cookies: Add 1/2 cup of quick-cooking oatmeal, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to 2 cups master mix; stir with spoon. Add to egg, butter and sugar along with 1/2 cup raisins; beat to combine.

Baking instructions:

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown on edges of cookie. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool.

The following are two recipes from Jan Conant’s The Hungry Maine Moose Cookbook

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup peanut butter

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream sugars and shortening together. Add eggs and peanut butter and beat well. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to shortening mixture; mix thoroughly. Add vanilla, oats and chocolate chips, mix. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until golden. Cool on wire rack.

Orrington Oatmeal Rolls

2 cups water

1 cup quick cooking oats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water (110 – 115 degrees)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 3/4 cup flour

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil; add oats and butter. Remove from heat; cool to warm. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oatmeal mixture. Add sugars, salt and 4 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide dough and make into 16 balls to 18 balls.

Place in two greased 9-inch square baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack.