In a small bowl, stir the dried fruits and soaking liquid. Cover and set aside to soak overnight. In a food processor, pulse together flour through salt (let flour settle before opening). Add the butter, egg, and almond extract, pulsing until dough forms a fine crumble (slowly drizzle in a bit of cold water if needed to help the dough crumble). Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan, then firmly pat about half of dough into the bottom, or however much is needed to cover edge to edge, saving the remaining dough for the topping.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Sprinkle soaked dried fruit and candied cherries evenly over the crust. Mix nuts into remaining crumble and spread over the fruit layer. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is lightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container.
*Common fruitcake dried fruits include apricots, cranberries, cherries, raisins, currants, pineapple, dates, figs, and prunes. Candied cherries are not the same as maraschino cherries.
Per serving: 390 calories, 18 grams fat (9 grams saturated fat), 49 grams total carbohydrates, 41 milligrams cholesterol, 130 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams protein.
