Comments on: Festive Fruitcake Cookies

By: beckybakesandcooks

beckybakesandcooks — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:39:00 +0000

I really loved these cookies. All the flavors of fruitcake with a much lighter texture. They are my new favorite holiday cookie. The first time I made these I had the same problems as everyone else. “Dough” was way to runny and the cookies turned out way to flat. I have modified the recipe with much success. They aren’t quite as “full” as Ree’s picture but not flat. Try reducing the brandy to 3/4 cup, increasing the flour to 2-1/4 cups (plus the 1/2 cup tossed with the fruit for a total of 2-3/4 cups flour.) I also cut the glaze recipe in half and used a pastry brush to brush the cookies with glaze immediately after taking out of the oven. Try these modifications, if you like fruitcake at all, you’ll love these.

By: dmkemp

dmkemp — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:38:53 +0000

I made this and am glad to know I’m not the only one who had flat cookies although they do taste good. I used half brandy and half apple juice but they either need less liquid or more flour. Don’t know how Ree got hers to stay in the shape that they did. I did add more flour to the second batch I baked and they didn’t spread as bad as the first batch.

By: aprilbapryll

aprilbapryll — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 01:34:01 +0000

Mine were also flat, BUT I think the trick is to a) add a little more flour, maybe 1/4 cup and b) let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so. I cooked them in two batches, and my second batch came out much better than the first.

If I make these again, I’ll also try letting the glaze sit for a day before topping the cookies.

PS – if you like Rum balls, you’d love these cookies. I’m not a huge fan of uncooked alcohol in my food, but I made them for my fruitcake-loving father, so I think they’ll be a hit.

By: artsychef

artsychef — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:43:40 +0000

I did not have good results with these cookies. They look nothing like the picture and like Porthos, mine were also flat. There was not enough fruit to really get the taste, I thought they tasted too plain to be fruitcake cookies. The liquid glaze rolled right off the cookies onto the newspaper so I let the brandy mixture sit a day and it was thicker and went on better but no way do you need 1-2 teaspoons. Will not make these again.

By: adeline

adeline — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:21:08 +0000

Hi,
These sound very good ………just wondering if the alcohol can be replaced with something else when making for children ……… Any ideas ??

By: jenlcottrill

jenlcottrill — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:32:49 +0000

I made these cookies this weekend and they are AWESOME!!! I used a 1T ice cream scooper and baked them in mini muffin tins. I put the milk/baking soda mixture in before the nuts and fruit and it was think and wonderful. I am passing this recipe on to my family and plan on making them again before Christmas.

By: jenlcottrill

jenlcottrill — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:32:18 +0000

By: easummers

easummers — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:18:28 +0000

My dough also much runnier than Ree’s and the cookies were flat. It says 2 1/2 cups of flour and an additional 1/2… The recipe states add 2 cups of flour and later use 1/2 cup of flour over the fruit…seems like 1/2 cup of flour is still missing.

I loved fruitcake as a kid – haven’t had it in awhile. I wasn’t all that excited about the candied fruit when I read the ingredients, but based on my childhood like of fruitcake went ahead. Surprise! – I don’t like the candied fruit as an adult. The boozy cake and nuts were good even in the flat cookies, though, so I might try again with dried fruit and use 3 cups of flour total…actually if I try again I will try a 1/2 recipe.

By: porthos

porthos — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:34:11 +0000

I just finished throwing my first batch of these in the oven. A couple of thoughts:

1. The recipe directions are missing where to add the vanilla. In her original post, she adds it after the brandy.

2. I wouldn’t mix the milk/baking soda too early. By the time I got to it (I work slowly), it had started to thicken up quite a bit. I had to scrap it out of the bowl I’d mixed it in. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be?

3. My dough was WAAAY runnier than PW’s. Not sure if it was because I screwed up the baking soda/milk or not, but it was down right soupy and didn’t hold a shape like hers did at all. The result was a very flat cookie which is fine. Just not what I was expecting.

4. At the size I made mine (one scoop of an ice cream scoop), I got about 26 cookies, which puts them at about 140 calories each.

All that being said, the cookies were pretty good. Definitely tasted like fruitcake. I think if I made them again, I’d use 3/4 the amount of candied fruit. It just doesn’t taste good enough to be that prominent.

Also, the alcohol is very present in the flavor. So if you like your booze in the backseat, these probably aren’t for you.

I liked these enough, but probably not enough to make them again.

By: vickilynn

vickilynn — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 03:32:27 +0000

I love fruit cake. I love brandy.
I think these would be delish with a cup of hot coffee.
Yumm.