Carolyns Christmas Fruitcake Food

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Soak cherries, mango, cranberries, currants, and citron in 1/4 cup rum for at least 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 6x3-inch round pan or loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix into butter and sugar in three batches, alternating with molasses and milk. Stir in soaked fruit and chopped nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum.
• Cut out one piece parchment paper and one piece cheesecloth, each large enough to wrap around the cake. Moisten cheesecloth with 1 tablespoon rum. Arrange cheesecloth on top of parchment paper, and unmold cake onto it. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with remaining rum. Wrap the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake, then wrap with paper. Place in an airtight tin, and age for at least 10 weeks. If storing longer, douse with additional rum for every 10 weeks of storage.

CAROLYN'S ICE BOX FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combined graham cracker crumbs, coconut, cherries, pecans and pineapple in large bowl.
• Mix well.
• Mix marshmallows& milk in top of a double boiler.
• Stir constantly until marshmallows are melted.
• Pour over dry mixture and stir till well blended.
• Line loaf pan with foil.
• Press fruit cake mixture into pan forming a loaf.
• Chill for at least 3-4 hours.
• Slice and enjoy.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine all fruits, preserves, vanilla and liquor in a large bowl. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and store in a cool place overnight.
• Add hazelnuts, coconut and pecans to the fruits, mix well and set aside. Butter and flour four loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Make batter in two batches for greater ease of working. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup of butter until it is light and fluffy. Beat in 1 cup of brown sugar, a little at a time. Beating continuously, add 6 eggs, one at a time.
• Mix flour and spices together and sift half the mixture over batter. Fold together well.
• Mix half the fruits and nuts into batter and turn into two loaf pans. For second batch, repeat the last three steps with remaining ingredients.
• Cover loaf pans with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 hours. Remove foil and bake 40 minutes longer.
• Remove cakes from oven, run a knife around edges of the pans and turn upside down on a cake rack. Leave to cool. When cakes are thoroughly cool, wrap well in cheesecloth and pour liquor on top, bottom and sides until cheesecloth is soaked. Wrap each cake in several layers of aluminum foil to protect them from the air. They are ready to eat in two to three weeks, although the longer they're kept the better they are. Open every few weeks and add more liquor if cheesecloth seems dry.

MOM'S CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• The day before: chop dates into small pieces and put in a glass bowl. Add rum. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 8 hours, or overnight, to absorb the rum. You can leave this step out if you want but I find it makes the dates more delicious and the cookies have more flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Dice candied cherries and pineapple into small pieces and place in a very large bowl; I use the top of my cake carrier. Add pecans, followed by dates. Add 1 cup flour. Toss well to coat all of the pieces and break them up so they are not sticking together.
• Whisk baking soda into the milk and let it dissolve.
• Mix shortening into the fruit. Add remaining flour, sugar, eggs, orange juice, nutmeg, salt, and milk-baking soda mixture. Mix together with your hands just until you no longer see the flour. Try not to overmix. The batter will be very dense.
• Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to drop the cookies onto the prepared pans, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire cooling racks.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
• Combine the dried fruits together in a large mixing bowl.
• Pour the simple syrup over them, toss to coat, and let steep for 5 minutes.
• Strain and reserve the syrup.
• Cream the butter, sugar, and almond paste together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle at low speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Beat about 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
• Add ½ cup of the Grand Marnier and mix to incorporate.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,nutmeg, ginger& cloves in a medium-size mixing bowl and blend well.
• Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the butter mixture with the mixer on low speed, each time mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• The batter will be thick.
• Add the warm fruit and all the nuts a little at a time, mixing well.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Lightly grease twelve 1-pound loaf pans or 6-2 pound pans or cans.
• Spoon about 1 cup of the batter into each 1 pound pan, 2 cups into the 2 pound pans or cans.
• Bake until golden and the tops spring back when touched, about 45 minutes for the 1 pound pans 60 or longer for the larger pans (rearranging them after 25 minutes if necessary to brown evenly).
• Test with toothpick for doneness.
• Cool for 10 minutes in the pans.
• Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.
• Wrap each cake in a layer of cheesecloth.
• Store in plastic storage bags until they are slightly stale, 3 to 4 days.
• Combine the reserved simple syrup with the remaining ½ cup Grand Marnier and the bourbon.
• Without removing the cheesecloth, make tiny holes with a toothpick randomly on the top of each cake.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup over the top of each cake once every 2 to 3 days until all of the syrup is used.
• Let the cakes age for up to 3 weeks before eating.
• Makes 12 (1-pound) or 6 (2-pound) cakes.

CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter, add sugar, then beaten egg yolks. Sprinkle some of the flour over the fruit and pecans. Add spices and salt to remaining flour.
• Combine butter, fruit and flour mixtures. Add vanilla extract and baking soda.
• Beat egg whites until stiff and fold together butter/flour mixture. Drop scant teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 - 15 minutes. Batter may be prepared several weeks ahead. Freezes well before and after baking.

CAROLYN'S HOLIDAY FRUIT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 8x4 inch loaf pan.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves together in a large bowl. Stir in the oats. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs until well blended. Mix in the applesauce, walnuts, and raisins. Stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Take care not to overbake. Cool 5 minutes in pan before turning out on a rack to cool completely.