Recipe: Fruitcake Cookies

It’s the most delicious time of the year. Which also means it’s time for my annual five pound Winter weight gain. Gotta stay warm some way, right?

I’ve been really wanting to do something with baking and dried apricots. Yesterday I made my favorite cookies, Brandied Cranberry Orange, and today I was thinking that I should try something similar but with apricots and lemon. Once I’d made it that far however, I decided, why stop there?

It’s the Holidays and a good fruit cake is one of my favorite things, so I set out to incorporate the best parts of fruitcake into a cookie. Really, the best word I can think of to describe these cookies is loaded. Dried apricots, dried cranberries, dates, walnuts, orange and lemon zest, walnuts, booze… They’re cake-y and moist, bursting with dried fruit chunks that have been soaked in brandy. I know that traditionally fruitcake should have rum, but I only had the spiced variety on hand so I went with brandy instead.

Fruitcake Cookies

1 c butter

3/4 c sugar

1 t vanilla

1 T booze from soaking dried fruit

Zest of one lemon and half the juice

Zest of one orange

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t kosher salt

6 oz package of dried apricots, cut into small pieces

4 oz package of dried cranberries

6 dates, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup walnuts

Put the cranberries and apricots in a small bowl and cover with brandy. Do not add the dates to this mixture, they’ll just get soggy and break down. Let marinade for a few hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together, then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, juice, booze and zests.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and then add to the wet. Once incorporated, drain the cranberries and apricots and add, along with the dates and walnuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Once done, allow to cool on cookie sheets for about one minute then transfer to rack to cool completely. While the cookies are cooling, have yourself a little drink, I’m always very generous with the brandy I’m soaking the fruit in so I can have a beverage after.

Now that they’re cooled, it’s time for the glaze.

Zest one lemon, one orange, and use the juice from half a lemon. Add about a tablespoon of booze from the cranberry/apricot mixture. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.