Fruitcake cookies

Cookies instead of door-stopping cake. Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour's Fruitcake Drops recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup cherry juice concentrate
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups fruitcake blend
• 4 cups dried fruit
• 2 cups pecan halves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or better yet, line with parchment) a couple of baking sheets.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Add the eggs, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the liquor and boiled cider/juice/concentrate and mix, scraping the sides of the bowl. The batter will appear curdled; that's OK. Add the spices; the espresso powder and the flour. Mix until smooth.

Stir in the fruit. The batter will be heavy and sticky; this is best done in a stand mixer, or using a heavy spoon and lots of muscle power.

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, or a spoon, scoop out balls of dough about the size of a ping pong ball. Space them on the baking sheets, leaving about 1" to 1 1/2" between them; they won't spread much. Bake the cookies for 20 to 22 minutes. They'll appear fairly set, but may still be very slightly shiny/wet looking when you remove them from the oven. The bottoms will be lightly browned.

Let the cookies cool, then loosen them from the parchment or pan using a spatula. Store at room temperature up to several weeks, in an airtight canister in layers, with parchment or waxed paper between the layers to keep the cookies from sticking to one another. For longer storage, freeze.

Notes

• Can use any desired blend of fruitcake blend, dried fruits and nuts -- just need 9 cups.
• Can sub gluten free flour blend
• Soak fruit in brandy (sub bourbon or rum, if desired) overnight for added depth of flavor.