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Baking fruitcake cookies
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Fruitcake cookies, baked from the recipe - photo by Photo provided

Each year I share a recipe or two at Christmas. This year I have been exploring recipes for Christmas fruit cookies. The one I made is pictured here. This was what I baked Monday based on a recipe shared by Lona Webb from her niece Rene Conner.

It is of interest this year that fruitcake material which includes dates, candied pineapple in yellow, red and green and green- and red-candied cherries are in very short supply. Some grocery stores got none and others had a limited supply which was quickly exhausted. I am interested to know why this happened if any of you can shed any light on this situation. Will fruitcake and fruitcake cookies become extinct?

Enjoy the cookies if you can find the ingredients to bake them. They may be a staple in the area that is going to go away if the supply of material does not improve next year.

Fruitcake cookies
Cream with a mixer in a large bowl:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs

Add:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix well.

Finely chop the following ingredients and add folding into batter by hand in a very large bowl (use mixed colors of candied fruit for pretty cookies):
3/4 lb. golden raisins
2 cups dates
2 cups candied cherries
½ cup candied pineapple
7 cups broken pecans
1 to 1 ½ cups coconut (optional)

Drop by teaspoon full on parchment, silicone mats or greased cookies sheets and bake 15 to 20 minutes at 315 degrees until golden brown. Cool on wire rack and store in tightly-sealed containers with plastic wrap or waxed paper between layers. This makes a large amount of cookies.

Historic Effingham Society wishes you all a merry Christmas! Enjoy your loved ones, worship services and traditions in your family. Remember our soldiers who are away from home and their families in your prayers as they sacrifice for our freedom.
Next week the Farm Bureau story continues ...

This was written by Susan Exley of Historic Effingham Society. If you have photos, comments or information to share, contact her at 754-6681 or hesheraldexley@aol.com.