Fruitcake bars (no rolling your eyes, these are DELICIOUS)

     I have never in my life had fruitcake, NEVER!  I had heard the same horror stories that I'm sure everyone else has heard.  Fruitcake is awful.  Fruitcake is hard.  Fruitcake bounces.  Fruitcake is similar to a Twinkie, they never rot.  Avoid fruitcake at all cost.  Well, let me tell you, THOSE ARE LIES!!!!  LIES I TELL YOU!  This fruitcake bar recipe if from Taste of Home and it is delicious and amazing.  If your memory is tainted by bad fruitcakes of the past, please put away your demons and try these bars.  They are moist, fruity, nutty and mouthwatering.  These may be my new Christmas wooing cookie.  I'll be honest, making these cookies was a push from Joy my upstairs neighbor, who claimed that she loved fruitcake.  I thought she was crazy.  Reluctantly I made these bars for her as a Christmas present and they were delicious.  Give them a try!  
    Since I had never made these before, I followed the recipe with fidelity and let me tell you, I wouldn't change a thing.  The only major change I made was to toast the walnuts, which made them taste rich and took away the slightly bitter bite.  
   
          Ingredients: 
   3/4 cup butter, softened 
   1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar 
   3 eggs 
   1 Tbsp vanilla extract 
   1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
   3 cups, toasted, chopped walnuts 
   1 1/2 cup chopped candied pineapple 
   1 3/4 cups red and green candied cherries, halved
   2 cups pitted dates, chopped
  
Directions:
   First, turn the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the walnuts out on a cookie sheet and bake them until they smell fragrant, anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes.  Check on them constantly and make sure to mix them around.  You don't want them to burn.  When they are done, remove them from the oven.  Wait until they cool a bit and then chop.  Then, in a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and walnuts; mix well. Add some of the pineapple, cherries and dates, mix them through thoroughly.  Spread evenly into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with pineapple, cherries and dates; press lightly into dough.
Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 8 dozen.