“Years ago, when my family lived in Florida, my mother would often bring home supper from a local German bakery she loved. On those nights, our meal consisted of fabulous pastry-wrapped sandwiches filled with meat, mustard, onions, and pickles, plus potato salad. For dessert, she always chose the bakery’s heavenly fruitcake bars. My mother now has her own bakery, where she serves these divine little morsels. I daresay my mom’s are even better.” —Stacey Norwood, previous Assistant Editor, TeaTime
Fran's Fruitcake Bars
Serves: about 4 dozen
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups commercial biscuit mix
- 15 ounces apple sauce
- 1 cup chopped candied pineapple
- ¾ cup candied red cherries
- ¾ cup candied green cherries
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- Caramel frosting (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Grease and lightly flour 15x10-inch jellyroll pan.
- In large mixing bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in biscuit mix, applesauce, candied pineapple, candied red cherries, candied green cherries, raisins, and walnuts. 4. Spread dough evenly in jellyroll pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan.
Caramel Icing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Add butter, milk, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, just until brown sugar crystals dissolve. Remove from stove and whisk in confectioner’s sugar.
- Pour icing evenly evenly over fruitcake bars. Cut into diamond shapes and serve.
