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Fruitcake Cookies
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Most of my extended family lived just a few blocks
from where I grew up in Savannah, and we'd all gather Christmas morning for brunch at the home of my grandparents, Arthur and Mahla Wilson. We looked forward to the buffet table with its familiar spread: Ham, sandwich fixings, eggnog, sherry, pound cake and fruitcake, arranged on a brightly colored poinsettia tablecloth. We'd put a slice of fruitcake on a red glass plate, balance it on our laps, and watch everyone take turns opening gifts. I came upon this recipe while looking through Southern cookbooks for my Web site www.lizcooks.com, and loved the way it reminded me of those happy holiday gatherings. On Christmas mornings now, family and friends come to my house for a buffet that includes ham biscuits and eggnog. This year, I'll add these fruitcake cookies.
-- Elizabeth Lee
Hands on time: 25 minutes Total time: 45 minutes Serves: Makes 85
Ingredients:
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon rum extract
3 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup candied pineapple, chopped
1 cup candied cherries, chopped
1 cup chopped dates
1/4 pound seedless golden raisins
1/4 cup mixed chopped candied orange and lemon peel
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until well-blended. Add the dry ingredients and sherry alternately to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. Add the rum extract, then stir in the pecans, pineapple, cherries, dates, raisins and orange and lemon peel, and mix well. Drop the mixture by heaping teaspoons onto the cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart, and bake until slightly browned, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate extra dough for up to three days, or freeze for later use. -- Adapted from "My Mother's Southern Kitchen" by James Villas and Martha Pearl Villas (Macmillan, $25)
In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until well-blended. Add the dry ingredients and sherry alternately to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. Add the rum extract, then stir in the pecans, pineapple, cherries, dates, raisins and orange and lemon peel, and mix well. Drop the mixture by heaping teaspoons onto the cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart, and bake until slightly browned, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate extra dough for up to three days, or freeze for later use. -- Adapted from "My Mother's Southern Kitchen" by James Villas and Martha Pearl Villas (Macmillan, $25)
Nutrition:
Per cookie: 72 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 1 gram protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 6 milligrams cholesterol, 27 milligrams sodium.
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