Fruit Bars

Recipe No. 85 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Cakes and Cookies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Sugar, granulated — 2½ pounds (1¼ No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 1¼ ounces (2½ mess kit spoons)
• Cinnamon — 1¼ ounces (5 mess kit spoons)
• Ginger — ⅝ ounce (2½ mess kit spoons)
• Baking soda — 1¼ ounces (2½ mess kit spoons)
• Shortening — 1¾ pounds (⅞ No. 56 dipper)

Eggs — 16 eggs (¾ No. 56 dipper)

• Molasses or brown sugar — 2½ pounds (⅞ No. 56 dipper)
• Raisins, seedless, or other fruit — 3¾ pounds (2½ No. 56 dippers)
• Flour, sifted — 5 pounds (5 No. 56 dippers)

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Cinnamon · Molasses

1. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, soda, and shortening; stir until light and fluffy.
2. Mix eggs and molasses or brown sugar; beat well.
3. Add egg and molasses mixture to sugar mixture in three parts, beating until light after each addition.
4. Add fruit and flour; mix until a smooth dough is formed.
5. Place dough on sheet cake pans, using ½ No. 56 dipper dough to each pan; flatten with spatula until ½ inch thick. Bake in hot oven (380° to 400° F.) 18 to 20 minutes.
6. Cool. Cut each strip into 12 pieces.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Sugar, granulated — 3¼ oz Salt — about ⅔ tsp Cinnamon — about ⅔ tsp Ginger — about ⅓ tsp Baking soda — about ⅔ tsp Shortening — 2¼ oz Eggs — 1¼ eggs Molasses or brown sugar — 3¼ oz Raisins, seedless, or other fruit — 4¾ oz Flour, sifted — 6⅓ oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 85, Cakes and Cookies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.