Rumor has it that there is but one fruitcake in the world. It just keeps getting passed around.

Garrison Keillor speaks of fruitcakes as the "second danger of Christmas" - that of the 32.7 million, 30-foot imported fruitcake logs that are stored in surplus silos in Iowa, cut, packaged and sent to unsuspecting giftees. Or should we believe the definition of fruitcake as "doorstop"?

Traditionally, fruitcake is a colorful, dense, sweet treat, served at Christmas and New Year celebrations, that is made with a moderate amount of cake surrounded by candied fruit and nuts and preserved with brandy or rum.

Fruitcake makes sense as we realize how much baking we have to do in the few days left till Christmas. Home bakers could make this treat in the fall, and it could nestle happily in its liquored preservative until needed.

Fruitcake is probably the world's first high-energy snack and used to be the glorious crowning layer on a bride's wedding cake, since it would last to be eaten on the first anniversary.

The truth is - as I overheard in conversation the other day - folks do like fruitcake. One only needs to Google "fruitcake" to find an astounding number and variation in fruitcake bakeries across the United States, even Europe. If people weren't buying fruitcakes, then Claxton Fruit Cake Company in Claxton, Ga.; Hale Groves of Wabasso, Fla.; Swiss Colony; Hickory Farms; even the monks at Holy Cross Abby in Berryville, Va., would not be making them.

Several standouts exist. Yahoo Baking Company (www.yahoobaking.com or 888/869-2466) has been baking its "king of fruitcakes" by the millions for more than 50 years from Sherman, Texas. Its state-of-Texas-shaped cake is baked with chocolate bits, Texas pecans and California cherries. Their miniature cakes and fruitcake cookies make great sense - just the right-sized nibble.

Collin Street Bakery of Corsicana, Texas, (near Dallas) has been making "world famous deluxe fruitcakes" since 1896 and is still going strong.

They boast a client list (posted on their Web site, www.collinstreet.com) that includes the Aga Khan, Vanna White and Ernest Borgnine. Their international delivery capability is amazing. Collin Street fruitcakes have been delivered to Australia, Trinidad, Thailand, Russia and Greece among other exotic locales.

Between Labor Day and Christmas, they bake 30,000 fruitcakes from scratch daily and employ 700 busy bakers to do it. Each fruitcake contains 27 percent Texas pecans by weight (which they shuck themselves), sweet pineapple and lush papaya from their own farms in Costa Rica, and red cherries from Oregon and Washington state. Their phone number is 800/475-3589.

Let's tweak fruitcake tradition a bit! First, if you receive a fruitcake gift, instead of slicing it in pieces, cut it into small squares, as you would fudge, and place in mini- muffin papers to serve.

Or remember None Such Mincemeat - a delicious store-bought mixture of raisins, apples and sugars? My grandmother would have reveled in its convenience (already cooked and ready to use in her rolled, filled, raisin cookies) and glass-jar packaging for refrigeration of leftovers.

Pat's Mini Mincemeat Miracles

In the same category as a slice of fruitcake, I stopped baking traditional mincemeat pie for the holidays - it was just too much to eat when there are so many other tasty choices. But I missed the taste until I tested these minis.

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

2 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

For the filling:

1/2 (27-ounce) jar of None Such Mincemeat

1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans, divided

To prepare the crust, lightly spoon flour into measure and place with sugar and salt into small bowl. Whisk.

In another small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and milk until fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until crumbly. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Gently roll into log and cut into 24 pieces. Place pieces into 24 mini muffin tin cups. Working with a tamper or your thumbs and fingers, shape into cups. (Don't stress - this goes quickly. The crust is not a flaky crust, so patting too much is not a factor.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon scant 1/2 teaspoon of pecans into each cup. Top with a generous teaspoon of mincemeat. Bake about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the top of each tart with toasted, chopped pecans. Bake another 5 to 7 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Reheat to serve.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, December 2005. Pat Ernst Dugan is a private chef, educator and food/recipe writer.