Fruitcake Bars

It is the season for fruitcake! 

Here's a superb tweak on the traditional recipe: 

Use dried local fruits and cut the cake into bite-sized bars. 

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup mixed dried fruits 

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 cup chopped nuts (we used walnuts and cashews)

Procedures:

1  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside. 

2  Sift together flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and baking powder. Divide in half. 

3  Dredge dried fruits in half of the flour mixture. 

4  In a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add honey, then stir in remaining flour mixture. Fold in dried fruits and nuts.

5  Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool before slicing into bars.

Wrapping tip:  We used dried mangoes, coconut, bananas, and pineapples in this recipe. To give as gifts, first wrap bars in aluminum foil then in colored cellophane.