There are 83 days until Christmas…

Yes, I do not want to think about either. October is here and we have to face the fact the holidays are coming toward us like a high-speed train.

Fruitcake usually takes about 70 days to mature which is ten weeks to Christmas. I see you looking back at the title, and your panic level rising.

For those who do not care for the fruit, rum, and butter confection you can get behind me. I want to ask you first, why do you not care for it. When was the last time you tasted it? Have you ever tasted it? Modern fruitcake is not the bricks it used to be. Like me, people have been tinkering with the old handed down recipes and improving them.

 Personally, I do not care for fruitcake because of the rum. My mother made fruitcake one year and I just could not get past the smell and taste of it.

17 years, this December, my Mother-In-law, Paddy sent fruitcake cookies for our first Christmas. Instantly, my stomach rolled at the word of fruitcake. It remembered that liquored up confection; no way, no how, was it going to have any part of it. After some reassurance from my husband that there was not any rum in these cookies, I bit down in to fruitcake nirvana.

Every Christmas, Paddy makes huge batches of these cookies and sends them to her boys. Each of her children, their spouse, and grandchild gets their very own gallon bag of fruitcake cookies. If she does not send each person his or her own bag, mayhem has been known to erupt. Cookies have gotten hidden and squirreled away. Used as bribes to get out of wrapping presents, washing dishes or even finishing the holiday shopping. Oh yeah, these are good!

I have to be honest and confess I have not made these. I was over the moon when Paddy sent me the recipe. I hope you will try these even if you are not lover of fruitcake, because I think you will surprised and might even change your thoughts about what fruitcake can be.

Christmas Fruitcake Cookies

(I believe Paddy said this came from a Southern Living Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 ½ cups of sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 (8 oz) packages of pitted dates

3 cups chopped pecans

1 (8oz) packaged candied yellow pineapple, chopped

1 (8oz) packaged candied red cherries, quartered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and beat well.

Combine flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

By hand, stir in the remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly grease cookie sheets (best if you use Parchment paper.)

Bake for 13 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool on cookie sheets about 1 minute, remove cookies to wire rack, and cool completely.

Yield: about 7 dozen