Frosted Fruitcake Bars

If you don't trust the suspicious looking candied fruit, you may want to give this recipe a try. Makes nice delicious soft cakey bars.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup shortening
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1  egg
• 1  tablespoon orange zest
• 2  tablespoons  orange juice
• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
• 1⁄2 cup  mixed candied fruit
• 1⁄3 cup  chopped pecans, toasted

• Glaze

• 1⁄4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1  tablespoon  melted butter
• 1  tablespoon rum
•  green sugar (optional)
•  red sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment or grease. In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar; add egg, orange zest, and juice. Mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to creamed ingredients. Stir in raisins, candied fruit and nuts. Shape dough into a strip roughly 7x12 (mine was more like 5x12) and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool slightly, then frost with glaze while warm. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Cut into strips.
3. Glaze: Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
4. Makes about 20, once you've eaten away the scraps.