Skip to main content

Countdown to Christmas 13 - What's in a Name?



 What's in a name? I am not sure I would have ever associated "Trudy Fruity" with fruit cake - it sounds far more trendy and frivolous! And are fruitcake cookies still 'fruitcake"?
 Yesterday, I introduced you to Claxton in Georgia USA as the fruitcake capital of the world. Today, it's Trudy Fruity, a company also in Georgia, which is famous for "seasonally baked goods and gifts." Trudy was in fact "Gertrude" Gilliard, who was well known for her delicious Southern cooking, and especially "fruitcake" cookies. She baked these cookies every year and shared them with family and friends through the 1950's to the 1990's. In 1990, Trudy gave her son, Gary the recipe for her "fruitcake" cookies, and supervised him in the creation of this Christmas treat. Thus,  the Trudy Fruity company was born and  Gertrude Gilliard  has become a household name in USA, especially at Christmas.
I can't say that fruitcake cookies are part of festive fare in Australia usually - I certainly have not heard of them, but I am keen to try them this Christmas. I found this recipe... probably not as good as "Trudy"s, but it sounds scrumptious.
 phots from https://www.facebook.com/Trudy-Fruity

Fruitcake Cookie recipe from http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fruitcake-cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 pound mixed candied fruit and peel
4 cups chopped toasted pecans
1 cup raisins
1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until blended. Stir in candied fruit and peel, pecans, raisins, and cherries. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks (about 20 minutes).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Wednesday's Child /2

Work in Progress - 3 of the 193 for "Stitched Up"- Wilma Simmons   The work for the "Stitched Up " Project  continues. See the previous "Wednesday Child" post for the background to this art project celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Newcastle Industrial School. I have been documenting the progress of my work, so I thought it might be interesting to share some of the early stages of the "stick dolls" ... Here are some of the beginning steps.. Sticks collected while walking the bushland in my neighbourhood  Drying and getting rid of any insects - oven heat 75 degreesC for approx 1-2 hours.  Trimmed and cut if necessary  Ends sealed with matte sealing solution.  Drying  - solution goes on white but dries clear.  First wrapping - foil to create a body shape  Second wrapping - stretch fabric.  Third wrapping - fabric strips  Some stitching - more stitching and embellishment to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more