Contest-Winning Fruitcake Cookies

Since I've enjoyed cooking almost my entire life—I've been doing it since I was old enough to be able to—I should have known the way my husband and I would meet. I was working at our local county fair (when I retired 2 years ago, I was its executive director)...and Mehrle and his dad were putting up a dining room on the grounds one day! This recipe's one people always ask for. They tell me it's habit-forming! I'm the kind of cook who starts with a basic recipe, then throws in "extras" to make it my own. I'm also the type who doesn't like making the same old thing over and over. So it's good my husband's the way he is—Mehrle's happy to eat just about anything I serve.