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| Christmas morning, signed 'J Clark' 1926 |
It's like we say in St. Olaf —
Christmas without fruitcake
is like St. Sigmund's Day
without the headless boy.
ROSE NYLUND, The Golden Girls
This recipe was found in my cherished 1983 Christmas with Southern Living book. I had to modify it, of course. Mr. Peasant misses fruitcake terribly, so I want to share this delicious fruitcake replacement. Replacement isn't even the right word because it is way better than those mushy fruitcake logs in the store. This recipe is very easy to make. I used the clearanced candied fruit mix and nuts I bought and froze from last January. Keep your eyes out for sales after Christmas and don't be afraid to freeze them for 11 months. I don't think it would matter if the you used less of the fruit or nuts. Just use what you have. It's very forgiving.
VEGAN FRUITCAKE COOKIES
Makes 4 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter (vegan) , softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 flax egg (1 TB of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 TB of water) or egg replacer of choice
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, - KEEP A FEW SPOONFULS OFF TO THE SIDE
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1- 6oz package of dates, chopped and pitted
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces (half a 16oz container) of candied mixed fruit
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream butter and gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy***
2. Add flax egg and beat well.
3. Take a few spoonfuls of the flour out and keep to the side.
4. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour (minus a few spoonfuls) , salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
5. Add the remaining flour mixture gradually to the creamed mixture beating well after each addition.
6. Sprinkle the candied fruit and dates with the spoonfuls of flour mixture you put aside. Stir until the flour coats the fruit. This keeps the fruit from sticking together.
7. Now add the remaining ingredients: candied fruits, dates, pecans and stir. This is a thick mixture.
7. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10- 13 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes before transfering to plate.
*** You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to help cream the butter and sugar if mixing by hand (like I did). I wouldn't worry about the fluffy part. Just be sure it's combined well.
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| I bought this marked down 75% off after Christmas last year, it froze well! |
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| I put spoonfuls on parchment and froze half of the dough for later. |
To all the vegan fruitcake lovers out there, I hope you give this recipe a try. I am trying not to be a perfectionist about the blog. I want to share all the Christmas things I can even if they are imperfect. Thank you for reading, and God bless you.
