Fruit Squares

I am making these recipe binders for my children.  In the binders are different family members and their recipes.  The things that they always bring to potlucks or what they are known for.  Or recipes of people who have past on.  I am including pictures of the people, expressions, stories, traditions.  All of it, anything that I feel is relevant to their heritage.  Kind of a recipe scrapbook.  Maybe you are thinking, isn't that what a blog is,; a digitized scrapbook of sorts.  Yeah, it is, that is my intention as I go along but there is something about holding something tangible in your hands.

This recipe for these fruit squares was given to me by my mother.  It was given to her by her mother, via my Great Aunt.  Now I am sharing it with you. Lucky you.  It's not an, oh my God, got to have this sweetly, decadent, kind of dessert.  It is more of a wonderful, lightly sweet, fruit laden treat to have along side your tea or coffee.  Now that I am getting older I appreciate these kinds of things more and more.

A more generous portion of fruit filling is called for here.  I had more to put in there.  I made my own peach filling with corn starch, etc.  But my husband got a hold of it and figured it was some kind of dessert made of fruit that he naturally should have. Clearly things need to be labeled in my fridge, like, HANDS OFF DUDE!


FRUIT SQUARES
A recipe from Babka, via my Great Aunt- love those old recipes.

3/4 cup lard or Crisco  (do not use butter- it just wont work the same)
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pie filling of your choice*

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together n a large bowl.  With a pastry blender or fork work the lard in to the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture.  In a small bowl combine the eggs, milk and vanilla.  Pour into dry ingredients, mixing completely but not over mixing.  This is a really sticky dough.  You may need to add a tablespoon or more of flour to get it to work for you.  Rolling it out between plastic wrap, parchment, cereal bags or wax paper are a few ways to get this dough rolled out.  You want to roll out two sheets of dough; one for the bottom, one for the top.  Lay the bottom layer into an ungreased pan.  I like to use a jelly roll pan.  Place fruit filling on top of dough.  Lay top layer of dough on top of that.  Make some vent holes.  Bake in a preheated oven 350F.

*If you have fresh fruit, make your own filling ahead of time.  Apples are delightful in this.