Q. Eagle Brand has a recipe I would like to make at this time of year, but I want to know if I can make it with less calories. It's Butterscotch Apple Squares and it's on their Web site.

A. Saw it, loved it, lightened it.

To bring down the calories from fat in the bottom-crust portion, I switched to a less-fat margarine and I decreased the amount from 4 tablespoons to 3. This was mixed with a couple of tablespoons of fat-free sour cream to create a creamy mixture with about the same moistening potential as the original half a stick of butter.

I used low-fat graham crackers (that's what was in my cabinet) to make my crumbs, but regular graham crackers would work well, too.

To make these bars a bit more nutritious, I've doubled the apples and left the skin on (the phytochemicals in the apple skin work with the nutrients in the apple flesh for maximum health impact).

I switched to fat-free sweetened condensed milk (it works well), and after making this recipe once, I realized there was plenty of butterscotch mixture, so I decreased the condensed milk and the butterscotch chips by 25 percent.

A cup of coconut was used as topping (down from 1 1/3 cup) and I kept the nuts almost the same (3/4 cup) to keep the smart fats high.

These bars are loaded with flavor and even some fiber, so a serving of these bars should do the trick.

We cut the calories by 25 percent, we increased the fiber and nutrients from the apples, and we cut the fat in half.

I switched the "apple" and "butterscotch" around in the recipe title because the light recipe is more about the apples (and all the nutrition that comes with them) and less about the butterscotch.

LIGHT APPLE BUTTERSCOTCH SQUARES

3 tablespoons less-fat margarine (8 grams of fat per tablespoon)

2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

1 1/4 cups low-fat graham cracker crumbs (regular graham cracker crumbs can be substituted)

2 1/2 cups chopped apples with peels (about two large apples; core apples, slice, then dice)

3/4 cup (4.5 ounces) butterscotch-flavored chips

1 cup Eagle Brand Fat Free Sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

3/4-1 cup flaked coconut, firmly packed

3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the sides of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray.

Add margarine to a 1-cup glass measure and carefully melt in microwave (at 50 percent power for 20 seconds). Stir in the fat-free sour cream and spread mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared dish.

Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over the margarine mixture.

Top this with the chopped apples.

In a small, nonstick, heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butterscotch chips with the sweetened condensed milk; mixture will be nice and smooth.

Drizzle butterscotch mixture evenly over the apples, scraping the sides of saucepan to use every bit.

Top butterscotch mixture with the coconut and nuts, and press down firmly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the bars are lightly browned. Let them cool and cut into 20 squares (cut 4 columns on the short side of the pan and 5 columns on the longer side.) Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Makes 20 bars.