Fruitcake Cookies

Fruitcake cookies are a popular Christmas cookie. In fact, Mom and I both chose the same day to make some Christmas cookies, and when we were done we went to do a cookie exchange... and we had both made a version of them. Here's mine.

As I so often do, I've cut back on sugar (but thanks to all the add-ins they still have lots) and upped the spicing. My nuts were hazelnuts, which I think are best if toasted for 10 minutes at 375°F then rubbed in a towel to remove as much as the skin as is reasonable. Other than that, what is listed below is what I put in, but it's quite flexible. As long as you keep the same proportions, you can add whatever dry/preserved fruit-type things you like. You can see my love of candied ginger shining through, and I think I'll make a batch at some point where I replace the raisins with chocolate chips. If I'm out of sherry, I've been known to use rum.

60 cookies
1 hour - 40 minutes prep time

Mix the Fruit:
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup raisins
2 cups mixed chopped peel
1 cup chopped preserved ginger
1 cup slivered almonds OR other nuts of your choice
1/2 cup sherry

You will need to chop the ginger and possibly the nuts; otherwise, put them in a large mixing bowl and mix 'em, finishing up by pouring the sherry over them. I've taken to doing this the night before, except for the nuts, to give them a chance to really soak and to break up the work.

Mix the Dry Ingredients:
3 cups soft unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice berries, ground
3 or 4 pods (1/4 teaspoon) green cardamom, ground

Measure everything but the allspice and cardamom out into a smaller bowl and mix well. Grind the allspice and cardamom (remove and discard the papery green hulls) finely and add the bowl. Mix well.

Make the Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Cream the butter in mixing bowl, and work in the sugar. Work until light and creamy. Break in the eggs, one at a time, and mix them in. It will separate but that's okay. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Mix a little of the flour into the wet mixture, just to pull it together again. Dump the rest over the dried fruit along with any unabsorbed sherry and mix it in. Then begin mixing portions of the dried fruit and flour into the wet ingredients; say about a quarter at a time, until it is all in and well mixed.

This is a large bowl of dough, and ends up quite thick and sturdy. I find I have to stop mixing with a spoon and use my hands to get it to come together into a dough. If it really won't, you can add a few drops of milk to help work it together, but go very lightly with that and really, if you are mixing by hand it shouldn't be necessary.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 3 large baking trays with parchment paper.

Form the dough into large cookies - I used a quarter cup measuring cup to scoop out dough, then divided it into 4 equal cookies; a standard disher also works well. Roll them slightly in your palms to keep them neat. If possible, I suggest "tucking in" any bits of fruit that are sticking noticeably out of the dough. Space them out on prepared pans.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and just showing some colour. Let cool and store in a tin in a cool, dark place. They do improve with a bit of sitting, and should keep for a couple of weeks.




Last year at this time I made Super Seedy Rye Crackers.

Posted in: Ontario Food