Mom's Christmas Fruitcake Cookies
Description
Martie Duncan's mom's fruitcake cookies, packed with candied fruit, pecans, and rum-soaked dates, are a Christmas holiday tradition.
Ingredients
•
1 pound dates
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2 tablespoons dark rum
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2 pounds red and green candied cherries
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1 pound candied pineapple
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6 cups pecans, roughly chopped
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4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
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3 teaspoons baking soda
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3 tablespoons milk
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1/4 cup shortening (such as Crisco®)
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1 cup white sugar
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4 large eggs, at room temperature
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1 tablespoon orange juice
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1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1 pinch kosher salt
Directions
1
The day before: chop dates into small pieces and put in a glass bowl. Add rum. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 8 hours, or overnight, to absorb the rum. You can leave this step out if you want but I find it makes the dates more delicious and the cookies have more flavor.
2
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3
Dice candied cherries and pineapple into small pieces and place in a very large bowl; I use the top of my cake carrier. Add pecans, followed by dates. Add 1 cup flour. Toss well to coat all of the pieces and break them up so they are not sticking together.
4
Whisk baking soda into the milk and let it dissolve.
5
Mix shortening into the fruit. Add remaining flour, sugar, eggs, orange juice, nutmeg, salt, and milk-baking soda mixture. Mix together with your hands just until you no longer see the flour. Try not to overmix. The batter will be very dense.
6
Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to drop the cookies onto the prepared pans, about 1 inch apart.
7
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire cooling racks.