The term fruitcake in the name of this recipe will turn a lot of people off of it - even though it isn't really a fruitcake. Our family has tried to think of a good name for them that doesn't have the word fruitcake in them, since many of the kids friends or adult guests will say; "Oh, I don't like fruitcake" - but we always resort to their name; fruitcake bars, as that is what they are! I've been making these bars for about 20 years and although I don't make a traditional 'fruitcake', there is no way I can skip making these. They are unbaked, with a base of marshmallows and graham crackers. So good!
No Bake Fruitcake Bars
1 lb. butter
1 lb. mini marshmallows
3/4 c evaporated milk
1 lb. pecans
1/2 lb. walnuts
1/2 lb. whole green candied cherries
1/2 lb. whole red candied cherries
1 lb. raisins
1 lb. graham cracker crumbs
Melt the butter, marshmallows and evaporated milk in a pan on the stove over low to medium heat. In a very large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients. Add the melted marshmallow mixture. Stir and mix well. Press into a greased or foil lined 9X13" pan. Press flat and freeze or refrigerate overnight. Thaw a bit before slicing to make it easier. Slice into 3 long sections or rows and slice each row into thin slices to serve.
**I've been using a little less butter over the past few years (perhaps 3 1/4 sticks instead of 4) and it's been perfectly fine. Feel free to cut back a bit on the butter if you want to try it that way.
You can also change the amounts of the nuts, raisins and cherries, etc. I've used craisins some years, and doubled the red cherries and halved the green cherries, etc. You can play with this recipe a bit.
