Fruit Cookies

Fruit Cookies

I have a great recipe for fruitcake. The down side is it makes five pounds of fruitcake. The next negative is I am the only one who enjoys fruitcake. That leaves a large amount of fruitcake for me to eat. I saw Ina Garten make this recipe on her program today. This may be an alternative to my holiday fix with fruitcake.

Yield 60 cookies.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried figs
• 1/4 pound raisins
• 2 ounces candied cherries, coarsely chopped
• 2 ounces dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 ounces chopped pecans
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 extra-large egg
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Snip off the hard stems of the figs with scissors or a small knife and coarsely chop the figs. In a medium bowl, combine the figs, raisins, cherries, apricots, honey, sherry, lemon juice, pecans, and a pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cloves, superfine sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg and mix until incorporated. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt just until combined. Don't overmix! Add the fruits and nuts, including any liquid in the bowl. Divide the dough in half and place each half on the long edge of a 12 by 18-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll each half into a log, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch thick, making an 18-inch-long roll. Refrigerate the dough for several hours, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a small, sharp knife, cut the logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place the slices 1/2-inch apart on ungreased sheet pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden.