Holiday Fruitcake Cookies

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Holiday Fruitcake Cookies
Categories: Cookies
Yield: 60 servings

2 c Sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Ground cinnamon
1/2 c Shortening
1 c Packed light brown sugar
1 Egg; beaten
1/3 c Buttermilk
1 pk Diced dates; (8-oz) (see
-note)
1/2 c Chopped nuts
1/2 c Chopped candied red cherries
1/2 c Chopped candied green
-cherries

Recipe by: St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12/2/96 Sift together flour, baking
soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Beat shortening until light; add sugar and egg, beating until fluffy. Add
buttermilk alternately with dry ingredients to shortening mixture; mix
well. Fold in dates, nuts, and cherries. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and
refrigerate dough until chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches
apart, onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes or
until lightly browned. Let cool on wire racks.

Note: You can substitute 8 ounces pitted dates, cut into small pieces.

Yield: About 5 dozen cookies.

Tester's note: Soft, with just the right amount of fruit and nuts. Easy to
do; you can make dough one evening and bake after work the next day. These
moist cookies keep well.

Hilda Tims, McCluer High School.

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