The tastes and aromas that come from the kitchen during the holidays builds lasting memories. Holiday traditions abound with delicious recipes for entertaining your guests or simply treating your family with special snacks. The holidays just would not be the same without scrumptious cakes, cookies and candies. The following recipes are sure to tempt the taste buds of your family and friends and have them coming back for seconds.

Holiday Fruitcake
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped dried figs or raisins
¾ cup brandy
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs plus 2 eggs whites, slightly beaten
½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted
1 (10-oz) jar maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted
1 teaspoon water

Place apricots and figs or raisins in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in eggs and ½ cup orange juice concentrate. Stir in cherries, pecans, walnuts, apricots and figs or raisins. Mix well. Pour batter into a 9” x 5” loaf pan that has been sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Bake the fruitcake for 2 hours. After 2 hours remove from oven and cover the cake with foil. Bake for 15 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Remove cake from pan and place on wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over the cake while it is still hot. Cool completely then wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap, then in foil. Store in refrigerator.

Holiday Thumbprint Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon water
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons currant jelly

Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and egg yolks. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour. Beat at low speed until a soft dough forms. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and water at high speed until foamy. Set aside. Shape the dough into 1” balls. Dip the balls into the egg white mixture. Roll the balls in pecans. Place the balls 2” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Indent the top of each cookie with your thumb. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until set. Immediately indent the cookies again. Spoon ¼ teaspoon of current jelly into each thumbprint. Cool completely before storing. Do not stack cookies.

Chocolate Truffles
2 bars (4-oz each) sweet baking chocolate cut up
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ teaspoon vanilla

Coatings
Powdered sugar
Cocoa
Finely chopped nuts
Shredded coconut

Line a 8” x 4” loaf dish with plastic wrap. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate, whipping cream and butter. Microwave at 50% ( medium) for 4 to 6 minutes or until the chocolate melts and the mixture can be stirred smooth. Beat the mixture until smooth and shiny. Blend in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into prepared loaf dish and refrigerate for 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and lift the chocolate mixture from the dish. Cut into 24 equal portions. Let stand for 10 minutes. Coat your hands lightly with powdered sugar and roll each portion into ¾” balls. Place desired coating in small bowl and roll each ball to coat. Place each truffle in paper candy cups and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Store truffles in refrigerator no longer than 2 weeks.

Holiday traditions enrich our lives, bonds us with family and friends, and fills us with warm memories of times spent together. This is especially true with preparing special recipes for and with our family and friends during the holidays where cooking traditions are at the heart of every gathering and celebration. Embrace the holidays and create some special dishes and memories that will become traditions in your kitchen season after season.