Bready or Not Original: Fruitcake Cookies
These Fruitcake Cookies turned out gorgeous AND delicious, but could’ve been a total disaster.
I completely rewrote a base recipe for these cookies before I even got to the kitchen. Once I started combining ingredients, I realized I had a major problem.
I had too little dough to hold my fruit and nuts. Uh oh! If I continued as planned, they would not be the slightest bit cohesive.
So, I winged it. I added more flour, more brown sugar, another egg. The dough became cohesive. I baked the first batch. They stayed cohesive.
Whew! The cookies were saved. Not only saved, but absolutely delicious. The combination of ingredients brings all the best elements of fruitcake without all the fuss.
Want more fruitcake? Here’s my recipe for Mini Loaves–which wouldn’t be ripened by Christmas, unfortunately–and also another Fruitcake Cookies recipe, this one like oatmeal cookies. I also have a recipe for brownies that uses candied cherries and one that uses candied orange peel in delicious scones. Keep in mind that a lot of fruitcake ingredients can be found for fabulous clearance prices after Christmas, so bake up these recipes in the new year! Good food shouldn’t be confined to one season.
Bready or Not Original: Fruitcake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried apricots finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dried dates finely chopped
- 1 cup candied cherries coarsely chopped
- 1 cup walnuts and/or pecans, coarsely chopped
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/2 stick, softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
- Combine fruit and nuts with 1 cup of flour, coating everything. This will prevent the fruit from sinking as the cookies bake.
- Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars. Add the eggs with the vanilla and almond extract. Stir in the remaining flour with the baking soda and salt.
- Stir in the fruit/nut/flour mixture until just combined.
- Drop dough by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Cranberry-Orange Cookies
These Cranberry-Orange Cookies are packed with vivid, fresh flavor, and a sure way to brighten your day, whatever the season!
The order of ingredients is important here. You take one orange and zest and juice it. The zest goes straight into the dough, while the juice is used to soak the dried cranberries.
Not only does this plump up the desiccated berries, but it naturally amplifies their flavor, too. The tartness becomes stronger, in perfect complement to the citrusy freshness.
Then, you add two tablespoons of the juice to the dough. The rest, do whatever with. It’s mighty tasty to drink!
The white chocolate chips add sporadic sweetness to balance the tartness, and it goes so well with the orange flavor, too.
Plus, these cookies are downright pretty on a holiday tray, packed as a gift, or eaten whenever, all the year long!
Bready or Not Original: Cranberry-Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees.
- Zest then juice the orange. Place dried cranberries in bowl and pour orange juice over them, stir, then set aside to soak
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars. Add the egg. Stir in orange zest.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually blend with butter mixture. Measure 2 tablespoons of orange juice from the bowl, and add to the dough. Drain off the rest of the orange juice (discard it or save it to drink) and add the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips to the dough. Combine.
- Use a tablespoon scoop or spoon to space out dollops of dough on baking sheet; cookies will spread. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until cookies are golden and set. Let set on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to completely cool. Repeat with the next batch(es).
- Store in a sealed container.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: British-Style Gingerbread
I adore famed British baker Mary Berry, one of the original judges on the Great British Bake Off. This British-Style Gingerbread recipe is modified from her cookbook Cooking with Mary Berry.
She has published a ton of cookbooks in the UK, but this particular cookbook has the measurements translated to American standards! Click on the picture below to order a copy for yourself–but maybe try my take on one of her recipes first, as it’s a great example of what you’ll find.
I’ve eaten and baked a number of American-style gingerbread recipe. This one is different in a lot of ways. First of all, the cooking method. It’s prepared on the stovetop, then baked.
The end result is tall, spongy, and cakey, with a solid ginger kick. And like chocolate recipes, this gingerbread actually improves after a day, as the flavors become deeper and more complex. Almost coffee-like, though it contains no coffee.
Oh yeah, and it’s REALLY REALLY GOOD.
The sporadic candied ginger pieces throughout add vivid pops of flavor, in an already ginger-filled cake.
This would be especially good paired with tea, coffee, or a good, stout beer (Guinness, in particular, comes to mind).
Bready or Not: British-Style Gingerbread
Equipment
- 9x13 casserole pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1 cup molasses
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 3 pieces candied ginger coarsely chopped
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line baking pan with aluminum and apply butter or nonstick spray.
- In a large pot, warm the butter, sugar, and molasses until it is combined and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the flour and spices into the big pot, followed by the eggs and the candied ginger pieces.
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk--don't boil! Add the baking soda. Pour into the gingerbread mixture and mix together.
- Pour everything into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. When done, it will be spongy to the touch and pass the toothpick test in the middle.
- Let cool in pan, either at room temperature or in the fridge. Once cool, use the foil to lift onto a cutting board and slice into bars.
- Store in a covered dish with waxed paper or parchment between the layers. Flavor will grow deeper and more complex over the next day.
OM NOM NOM!
2019 Works for Award Consideration
The end of the year is nigh. Time for a retrospective with the vain hope that I might garner some award nominations from my fellow writers.
Short stories
– The major story I’m promoting for awards is “The Blighted Godling of Company Town H” published at Beneath Ceaseless Skies #268 the very first week of 2019. It can be read online and is also available for free in podcast form, read by Tina Connolly.
My other new stories this year include:
– “Consider the Monsters” in Diabolical Plots;
– “The Wind Knows All” in Nature
– “By Footpad and Clenched Paw” in Monarchies of Mau: Tales of Excellent Cats available in PDF and print at DriveThruFiction and in ebook at Amazon
– “Clouds Gleam Across Her Eyes” in Daily Science Fiction
– Letter Z in F is for Fairy
– “A Picture is Worth” in Nature
– “The Peculiar Gravity of Home” in Future SF Issue 2; available in print and ebook
– “Awaken My Bones Old and New” in Gorgon: Stories of Emergence
Poetry
If you’re a member of SFPA and reading works for consideration for the Rhysling and Dwarf Stars, please keep these poems in mind–but most of all, this first one, which is a dream publication for me!
– “My Ghost Will Know the Way” in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction #744 July/August 2019
– “Old Coyote” in Eye to the Telescope Issue 34: Tricksters
– “A Purring Cat is a Time Machine,” “Dollar Store Monsters,” and “Drought and Dryad” in Daikaijuzine
– “These Rocks, This Soul” in Sycorax Journal issue 3
– “Stranger Danger” in Star*Line 42.3
– “Consequences of a Stolen Star” in Kaleidotrope
– “Childhood Memory from the Old Victorian House on Warner” in Uncanny Magazine #27
#SFWAPro
Read MoreBready or Not Original: Glazed Gingerbread Rolls
Imagine cinnamon rolls that taste like gingerbread, and you have these incredible Gingerbread Rolls.
These things are a TREAT. Make them for a special holiday breakfast or brunch, or make them just because.
I had to make this twice to get it right. I followed another recipe closely at first and did a cream cheese frosting, which was delicious, but required the rolls be refrigerated, which made them end up pretty stiff before being eaten the next day.
So, take two. This time, I made up my own glaze, and that worked beautifully. The rolls could stay at room temperature, and stay nice and pliable.
One of my husband’s co-workers described these rolls as “not as soft as Cinnabon, but better flavor.” By golly, I’ll take that, especially since the rolls had been made the day before.
These rolls are as delicious as they look… and they look pretty good, don’t they?
Bready or Not Original: Glazed Gingerbread Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 Tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1 cup whole milk or substitute 3/4 cup half & half and 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons molasses
Filling:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- all-purpose flour to dust work surface
Glaze:
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half, use more as needed
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl (such as a Kitchen Aid bowl), combine sugar, ground cinnamon, ginger, salt, and 1 3/4 cups of flour. Stir in yeast.
- In a small saucepan, warm milk and butter. Cook until butter is melted and the milk/butter is between 105 and 110-degrees.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir. Add the egg and molasses, and stir well.
- Use a dough hook on a stand mixer or arm power to beat the dough. Gradually add the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, kneading until the dough is smooth and pliable. Using a dough hook, this will be 4 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a lightly buttered or greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Make the filling and assemble rolls:
- After the dough has risen, butter or grease a 9x13 OR 8x8 OR 9x9 casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients: brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Prepare a clean stretch of counter or table with a dusting of flour. Roll out the dough to about a 12x16 rectangle. Spread the filling all over, but not quite to the edges. Starting with the long side, roll into a log.
- If using a 9x13 pan, cut the rolls into 12 equal rounds; if using a smaller pan, cut into 9. A piece of unwaxed dental floss makes this easy; wrap around dough log, then pull two ends of floss opposite directions to slice through.
- Once the pan is full of rolls, cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise again until doubled, about an hour.
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Once it comes to temperature, place rolls inside. Bake for about 12 minutes then cover with foil to reduce browning, then bake about 8 to 12 minutes. Let cool a bit.
Glazing:
- Combine the glaze ingredients to each a thick yet loose texture. Add more milk or confectioners' sugar, as needed, to reach a good consistency. Spoon and spread over the rolls.
- Eat immediately, or cover with foil and keep at room temperature. Enjoy right from the pan or warmed slightly in the microwave. Best within a day or two.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Gingerbread Biscotti
Let’s get into the holiday spirit with some Gingerbread Biscotti!
This recipe is super-duper easy! Plus, the end result keeps well–it can even be frozen–and biscotti make for a wonderful holiday gift!
I was really amazed at the flavor of these. They are straight-out gingerbread, with the perfect crispness of biscotti.
Since the flavor is so great, they are good on their own… but like all biscotti, are even better in accompaniment to hot drinks like coffee, tea, or cocoa.
Like biscotti? I have a full assortment for you to try!
Snickerdoodle Biscotti
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti
Maple Walnut White Chocolate Biscotti
Peppermint Biscotti
Bready or Not Original: Gingerbread Biscotti
Ingredients
Biscotti
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground ginger
- 2 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Drizzle
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together oil, sugar, eggs, and molasses. In a separate bowl, sift together the two flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet until it is the same consistent brown.
- Divide the dough in half on the prepared baking sheet. Form each into a log about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long; make sure there is space between the two logs, as they'll grow in the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until tops are set when tapped. Remove the baking sheet from oven, but leave the oven on.
- Let the biscotti cool for 10 minutes. Use a large knife, such as a bread knife, to diagonally slice the logs 1/2-inch apart. Use a straight-down motion to cut; don't saw.
- Arrange the biscotti spaced out on the baking sheet. Stand them up if possible, or lay them on their sides. Bake for another 15 minutes, flipping them over halfway if necessary, to equally crisp both sides.
- Cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Zap white chocolate chips with shortening in microwave for 20 seconds, stir, then continue to repeat until it stirs smooth; keep a close eye on it, as the chocolate can burn fast! Use a fork to drizzle white chocolate over biscotti, or dip an end of each biscotti into chocolate.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature as long as a few weeks. Can also be frozen.
