444 date recipes

Traditional Sicilian fig cookies stuffed with ground figs, dates, raisins, walnuts, and orange, then iced and topped with colored sugar. Makes 10 dozen for the holiday cookie tray.

Spiced devil's food bundt cake studded with brandy-soaked dates, raisins, and chopped filberts, all baked in the microwave and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. Ready in under an hour.

Lots of fruit bread, a yeasted holiday loaf packed with prunes, figs, dates, raisins, candied peel, and almonds. The European-style fruit bread for Christmas mornings.

Fruit and nut muffins with whole wheat flour, applesauce, raisins, dates, and walnuts. A lower-fat big-batch recipe using egg whites and skim milk for lighter baking.

Old-fashioned Christmas Rocks cookies bursting with candied fruit, dates, figs, pecans, raisins, and currants in a cocoa-spiced batter with a hint of coffee. Dense, chewy, and built to last.

Traditional fruitcake studded with dates, figs, candied citron, pecans, and brandy-soaked fruits becomes a family heirloom recipe worth making.

Fruchtebrot (German fruit bread) packed with dried pears, apricots, dates, plums, raisins, and walnuts in a spiced yeast dough with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.

Braided yeast bread wreath filled with dates, walnuts, bran flakes, and cinnamon, topped with vanilla confectioner's sugar frosting. A stunning holiday bread that's worth the rise time.

Whole wheat bread machine loaf loaded with All-Bran, dates, raisins, pecans, almonds, and almond extract. A high-fiber, mildly sweet morning bread that bakes hands-off in one cycle.

Whole wheat carrot spice bread with oats, dates, and warm cinnamon-ginger spice. A hearty, low-fat quick bread made with applesauce and egg whites instead of butter or oil.

Classic hermit cookies with dates, golden raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, and warm spices, topped with a simple milk glaze. A chewy, old-fashioned spiced drop cookie.

Linda's fruitcake: brandy-soaked dates, citrus peel, raisins, almonds, and cherries folded into a spiced batter with a pineapple jam layer. Wrapped in brandy-soaked cheesecloth to age.

Loaded homemade granola with oat, wheat, and barley flakes, popcorn, nuts, seeds, coconut, and dried fruit. Honey-baked with maple flavoring for crunchy, customizable clusters.

Medieval-style meat cakes with pork shoulder, dates, raisins, pistachios, and saffron baked into a buttery pastry shell. Ancient sweet-savory tart that blends pork with dried fruits and warm spices.

Modern fruitcake loaf with pecans, dates, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and rum, topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. A fruitcake even fruitcake haters will love.

Fruit basket cookies packed with candied cherries, dates, dried apricots, golden raisins, pecans, and walnuts in a brown sugar butter dough. A chewy, fruited holiday cookie.