Fruitcake Yes, you read that right - I said Fruitcake

Fruitcake is possibly the most maligned edible in the U.S., and definitely so around the Christmas holiday. I love fruitcake. I firmly believe that most people who think they hate fruitcake have never tasted a decent fruitcake. I know that no commercially-produced fruitcake I have eaten comes anywhere close to the subtle flavor of this fruitcake recipe. In fact, most of them taste like citron held together with library paste (for those of you who are too young to have experienced library paste, think Elmer's thickened to the consistancy of the margarine that comes in a tub). If you only count commercially-produced fruitcake, well then, I hate fruitcake too. But this fruitcake is an entirely different animal - the candied fruit is held together by a batter that tastes like a rich spice cake. This recipe makes a very large fruitcake, about the size of a bundt cake. So why am I including it as a cookie recipe? Since it freezes very well, I've started to bake mine in muffin and tassie pans. The tassie-sized fruitcakes are just the right size for adding to a cookie tray. The muffin-sized fruitcakes let me dole out the goodies in limited portions, so I'm not tempted to eat more than I should!

MOM'S FRUITCAKE

Melt 3/4 cup butter; cool. Sift together into a large bowl:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Add 2-1/2 cups of chopped candied fruit (mixed), 1/2 cup candied pineapple, chopped fine, 1-1/4 cups whole candied cherries, 1 lb. raisins, 2 cups pecans, 1-1/4 cups chopped dates.   (I use only the candied fruit, raisins, and whole cherries, upping the quantity of candied fruit a bit). Mix to coat with dry ingredients.Beat 4 eggs until foamy. Gradually add 1-3/4 cup packed brown sugar to the eggs. Mix well. Blend in 1 cup milk or juice (I use OJ). 1/4 cup molasses, and the melted butter. Add liquids to the flour mixture. Grease one 10" tube pan, or two 9x5x3 loaf pans, or 4 1-lb. coffee cans well and line with wax paper (I use cupcake tins and tassie pans, spraying them well with Pam, no wax paper). Fill the selected container(s) 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake in a slow oven (275 degrees) for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, or until a toohpick inserted into the cake comes out dry. (Cupcake pans take about 45 minutes, tassie pans even less).