Fruit Cake Cookies

 Somewhere along the line, fruit cake got a bad reputation—unfounded or not. And whatever you may think of this stalwart, we won’t argue with you. We’ll only invite you to consider this recipe. It takes what fruit cake does best and repackages it in the form of a soft and chewy cookie. What does fruit cake do best, you might ask? Let us tell you. Fruit cake combines sweet dried fruits (golden raisins and chopped dates), warm spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves), citrus (orange zest), crunchy toasted almonds and brandy. In other words, all the flavors of the season are wrapped up in fruit cake. It’s a daring move and that’s exactly why it works. The bold flavors and colors—did we mention the sugar-sweet maraschino cherries and candied green cherries?—are as exuberant as Christmas itself. Forget what you thought you knew about fruit cake and let these fun, nostalgic cookies be your new—and much more delicious—definition. 


Ingredients

  • 3/4
    cup golden raisins
  • 1/2
    cup chopped dates
  • 1/2
    cup brandy
  • 1
    box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix
  • 1/2
    cup packed brown sugar
  • 1
    tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1
    teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2
    teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2
    teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2
    cup butter, melted
  • 1
    egg
  • 2
    tablespoons water
  • 3/4
    cup coarsely chopped maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry
  • 1/2
    cup coarsely chopped toasted slivered almonds
  • 1/2
    cup chopped candied green cherries, if desired

Steps

1 Heat oven to 350°F.

2 In 1-quart saucepan, heat raisins, dates and brandy to simmering over medium heat. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Drain; set aside. Discard liquid.


3 Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together cake mix, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In small bowl, stir melted butter, egg and water until blended. Add butter mixture to cake mix-brown sugar mixture; beat with spoon until well blended. Add drained fruit, maraschino cherries, nuts and candied cherries.


4 Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

5 Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store covered in airtight container.

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