Smart Cookie Fruitcake Food

SMART COOKIE FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine dates, cherries, raisins, blueberries, apricots, and ginger in a bowl. Pour spiced rum and chai on top and let soak 8 hours to overnight.
• Mix soaked fruit with orange juice, zest, butter, sugar, zest, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer and cook until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray 4 mini loaf pans with baking spray.
• Remove cinnamon stick from the soaked fruit; stir in the flour mixture until combined. Add eggs, mixing to combine, and fold in mixed nuts. Divide batter between the prepared loaf pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of each loaf and turn out of the pan. Brush warm cakes with more rum and let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
• Place cooled cakes in airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for 6 to 7 weeks. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

TASTE LIKE FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, blend cake mix, brown sugar. Add to dry mixture, the shortening, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Fold in cherries, raisins, apricots or pineapples, walnuts, almonds, and pecans or your favorite nut. Blend mixture well. Drop cookie dough (dough should be sticky, doughy, not too wet), if too wet add a couple of spoonfuls of leftover cake mix to give it the right consistency) by spoonfuls, about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Tip: About 1 minute before cooking time is reached, pull cookies out of oven, they will continue to cook for about 1 minute on hot cookie sheet and begin to cool, creating their own cake like color. Cookies can be refrigerated and served at a later time, or put in the freezer. To freeze, wrap cookies tightly in freezer wrap, heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic freezer-safe bags. Freeze up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature for approximately 45 minutes before serving.

NELL'S FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together crisco and sugar.
• Stir in egg; add milk and blend well.
• Sift dry ingredients together, stir in to batter.
• Add nuts, dates, and cherries, stirring to distribute evenly.
• Chill dough 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet; top w/ half cherry or walnut/pecan half.
• Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly brown.
• Cool on wire rack.

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.

FREEZER FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Stir together flour and cream of tartar.
• In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
• Beat in egg.
• Gradually add flour and cream of tartar mix, beating just until mixed.
• Stir in candied cherries and pineapple, chopped raisins, nuts.
• Divide dough in half.
• Roll each half into a log about 2 inches in diameter.
• Wrap in waxed paper.
• Freeze til firm.
• To bake, slice cookie rolls in 1/4 inch thick slices with sharp knife.
• Place on greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 375 for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly browned on edges.
• Cool on rack.