Christmas Rocks, a.k.a. Fruitcake Cookies

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Put all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and give it a stir. Add the dates, raisins and dried fruit. Stir to coat the fruit.

Add this to the creamed mixture with the zest and orange juice. Stir in the pecans.

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake about 20 minutes.

Let cool a couple of minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in airtight containers. Place an orange or apple in the container to enhance the flavor of the cookies.

This actually makes more than 36 cookies, probably at least 6 dozen.