The Magic Of Collin Street Bakery Fruitcake

Ok so fruitcake isn't the most popular holiday treat. It gets a bad rap and is the butt of many jokes. But just maybe it's time to pause and take another look at the much-maligned holiday staple.

I grew up in a tiny town south of Dallas, Texas named Corsicana. We always had a pretty good football team but not much else was too noteworthy. However, we are famous for a bakery that's been cranking out fruitcake for nearly 130 years. It's Collin Street Bakery.

The family who started the bakery and still have a hand in it today were the Mcnutts. Being that it's a small town, we all knew them. And, their fancy neighborhood backed up to my moderate to less than average neighborhood. But, it didn't stop me from taking note of the big charter buses they would bring in with musicians and bands for their festive backyard parties. I could hear the horn section cranking up when the gala began.

And, the family couldn't have been nicer when I visited them yearly to sell cookies or candy bars for school fundraisers. They were very good customers. But beyond that they were famous for their fruitcake. Their version is a delicacy known round the world. Dignitaries and royalty...yes, Charlie and Di...have dined on the famous Collin Street Bakery Fruitcake.

But before you go dismissing this as the horrible fruitcake you might have sampled in the past...think again. It's made from the finest ingredients and is moist and delicious. The pecans are hand selected to make the Collin Street cake one of the best you'll ever have.

They've been featured on Food Network and travel shows. There was almost a movie made with Will Ferrell and Laura Dern about a huge embezzling scandal that rocked the fruitcake world. And this morning The Today Show did a whole segment on the famous treat. It was fascinating and good to hear from my hometown icon. Enjoy! And try it...really!