Cooking for Pleasure: Christmas fruitcake cookies

One person said they tasted ‘like Christmas’, another said they were a fragrant explosion of flavors

Finished Christmas fruitcake cookies. (Photo by Patty Schied)

By Patty Schied

When I was a teenager, I babysat for a very fine cook whose cupboard was always full of baking treasures. During one visit, I discovered that she had made some luscious, candied fruit-filled cookies that I’ve never forgotten. For the past few Decembers, I’ve made an attempt to duplicate them. I doubt that I ever will make ones exactly like hers, but then decades have passed since I first tasted them, so my memory is faulty.

This recipe is this year’s effort. They are spicy and full of brandy-soaked dried and candied fruit with a brandy/sugar syrup glaze. This time I tested the cookies on many friends and relatives. One person said they tasted ‘like Christmas’, another said they were a fragrant explosion of flavors. Since the feedback was so positive, I thought I would share this recipe with you.

The day before you make these cookies, mix 2 ½ cups of cut-up dried and/or candied fruit in ½ cup of brandy, rum, or bourbon. I used dates, raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries and candied orange peels. Select what tastes best to you. Cover the liquor-soaked fruit with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Chopped fruit in brandy. (Photo by Patty Schied)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix thoroughly:

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

2 tablespoons of molasses

2 eggs

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

Add and mix thoroughly:

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg (preferably fresh grated)

Grated zest of one orange or lemon

Ready for the oven! (Photo by Patty Schied)

Then, add brandy-soaked fruit and stir to mix. Scoop two tablespoon-sized cookie batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving an inch between each cookie.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden and set. These are soft cookies and are not meant to be crisp.

While the cookies are baking, at medium/low heat slowly melt ½ cup granulated sugar with ¼ cup of brandy, rum or bourbon in a small saucepan.

When cookies and sugar syrup are cool, brush each cookie lightly with the syrup.

Happy holiday cookie eating!

• Patty Schied is a longtime Juneau resident who studied at the Cordon Bleu in London and has written a cookbook. Cooking For Pleasure appears every other week in the Juneau Independent's features. She welcomes recipe ideas and questions about her column at patschied@yahoo.com.