Filled Fruit And Nut Cups Food

LITTLE NUT CUPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in the flour and mix thoroughly. The dough should be somewhat firm. Roll into 36 small balls, place them on a plate and refrigerate for one hour.
• Make the filling in a medium bowl. Beat the eggs, melted butter, vanilla and brown sugar until smooth and well blended. Stir in the nuts. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press the chilled dough balls into the bottom and up the sides of tart pans or mini muffin cups. Fill each shell with filling almost to the top. Use a squeeze top honey container if you have one, to drip about 1/2 teaspoon of honey onto the top of each cup.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool in the tins completely before removing.

MIXED FRUIT-AND-NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugars, and mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time until combined; mix in vanilla.
• Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in coconut, apricots, dates, macadamias, and pistachios.
• Drop batter, 2 heaping tablespoons at a time, onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; transfer cookies on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely.

FRUIT 'N' NUT STOLLEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt. In a small saucepan, heat milk and 1/2 cup butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. In a small bowl, combine the dried fruits, nuts and extract; set aside., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead fruit mixture into dough. Divide into thirds. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. oval. Melt remaining butter; brush over dough. Fold a long side over to within 1 in. of opposite side; press edges lightly to seal. Place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm loaves.

FRUIT-FILLED SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the first 5 ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 8 minutes or until thickened. Cool completely. Stir in the cherries, coconut and nuts; set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Using a cookie press fitted with a bar disk, press a 12-in.-long strip of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Spread fruit filling over dough. Press another strip over filling. Cut into 1-in. pieces (there is no need to separate the pieces). Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden. Recut into pieces if necessary. Remove to wire racks to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

NUT CUPS

Steps:

• Blend margarine and soft cream cheese until creamy.
• Add 1 cup sifted flour.
• Divide mixture into 16 balls and press into tiny muffins tins.
• Mix filling ingredients together.
• Fill nut cups with the filling mixture.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 10 minutes or until done.
• Let stand a few minutes before removing from tins.

FILLED FRUIT AND NUT CUPS

Steps:

• Cream margarine and cream cheese then add flour. Roll into balls and put in mini cupcake pans. Press with finger in the center of ball or use a press designed for this purpose. Dip press into flour occasionally.
• Nut Filling: Blend eggs and vanilla then add sugar. Blend slowly adding melted margarine. After all is creamed add nuts and mix thoroughly. Distribute evenly into cups.
• Bake 20 minutes in 350°F oven (a little longer for fruit filling). Just keep an eye on them until they are slightly brown.

APRICOT AND WALNUT PHYLLO CUPS

Steps:

• Special Equipment: a 12-count mini muffin pan
• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the apricots, walnuts, honey, 1 tablespoon orange zest, orange juice, and cardamom, until the apricots are in 1/4-inch pieces.
• Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface. Brush the dough with melted butter. Place another sheet of dough on top and brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining dough and melted butter. Using a sharp knife, trim the pastry into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 (3-inch) square pieces. Gently press each piece of dough into the muffin pan. Spoon the apricot filling into the cups. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and let the phyllo cups cool for 10 minutes. Using a dessert spoon or a small spatula, remove the phyllo cups from the pan. Place on a rack and cool completely.
• Arrange the phyllo cups on a platter, garnish with orange zest, if using, and serve. Or, store in an airtight plastic container for up to 4 days.

CHOCOLATE FRUIT N NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine butter, milk, sugar and honey. Bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat; stir in almonds and fruit. Stir in flour until blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased and floured baking sheets. Spread batter with a spoon to form 2-1/2-in. circles. Bake at 350° until edges are lightly browned, 6-9 minutes. Cool on pans for 1 minute before carefully removing to waxed paper to cool completely. For coating, combine chocolate chips and shortening in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until melted. Spread 1 teaspoonful over the bottom of each cookie. When chocolate is almost set, draw wavy lines with a fork or cake decorating comb. Store in the refrigerator.

FRUIT AND NUT FILLED PASTRY (VEGAN)

Steps:

• For the dough, put the flour, sugar and salt into a medium bowl.
• Add the margarine and oil, and cut in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• While tossing the mixture with a fork, gradually sprinkle the water on top.
• Gather the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for about 1 hour so it is easier to roll out.
• A food processor may be used to make the dough.
• After the water is added, process only about 10 seconds or until the dough begins to come together; do not over-process or the pastry will be tough.
• For the filling, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Note: If the raisins, figs, and prunes seem very dry and tough, soften them for about 20 minutes in hot water before chopping; then drain, pat dry and chop.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 22-inch-long by 6-inch-wide rectangle.
• Spoon the filling down the center, leaving a 2-inch border on both long edges and a 1/2-inch border at the ends.
• Bring the long edges up over the filling and pinch them tightly together.
• Then pinch the ends closed to form a long"snake" that encompasses the filling.
• Gently bend the snake into a"U"- or"S"-shape (so it will fit in your pan) and carefully transfer it to a greased or nonstick-spray coated or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated 375-degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until golden.
• Cool the pastry for 10 minutes on the baking sheet; then carefully transfer it to a rack to cool more completely.
• It may be served warm at this point.
• Just before serving, sprinkle the pastry with sieved confectioners sugar.
• Cut it into wide slices to serve.

FRUIT 'N' NUT RINGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the potatoes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes., Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the raisins, orange juice and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor or blender; cover and process until coarsely chopped. Pour into a bowl; stir in nuts., Line two baking sheets with foil and grease well; set aside. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 15x9-in. rectangle. Spread filling over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal., Place each roll seam side down on a prepared baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. With scissors, cut from outside edge to two-thirds of the way toward center of the ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes., Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over rings.

FRUIT AND NUT ROLL

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, stir in sugar.
• Create a well in the center, add the egg yolks and stir to form a paste.
• Stir in the salt, cinnamon and water and form into a ball.
• Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the refrigerated pastry into a rectangular shape about 1/4-inch thick.
• Spread the honey on top, then sprinkle with raisins, almonds, pecans and walnuts.
• Beginning at the long end, carefully roll up the pastry; shape the log into a circular wreath to fit into a 6-cup round baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray.
• Set the dish in the slow cooker, and cook on High for 3 or 4 hours, or until golden brown. Carefully lift out baking dish and serve hot or lukewarm. Enjoy!