2 teaspoons vanilla

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Place the dried fruit in a heatproof bowl, and pour over the boiling water making sure to cover the fruit. Infuse for 30 minutes. Then drain well. Reserve.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for about 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Don't turn the oven off.

3. Butter and flour a 17-inch-by-12-inch-by-1-inch baking pan. (It is sometimes called a jellyroll pan.)

4. Combine together the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice onto a large sheet of waxed paper. Add the walnuts. Mix with a fork. Set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until very light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well before adding the next. Add the vanilla, and mix again.

6. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture along with the dried fruit beating until the batter is just mixed. Add the chocolate pieces, and carefully blend into the mixture.

7. Evenly spread the batter onto the baking pan, and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out almost clean and the top is golden brown. Let cool at least an hour. Cut into squares, and serve.

Advance preparation: May be prepared up to two days ahead, covered well and kept at room temperature.

The clever cook could vary the dried fruits and nuts, or serve these desserts in small paper cups as a petit four after dinner.

Art courtesy of "Sunday Suppers: Simple, Delicious Menus for Family Gatherings" by Cynthia Graubart (Southern Living, $27.99).

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Parties," and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)