A Spiced Life

I love spices. I have nearly 40 spice jars and numerous other bagged bulk spices that I don’t have matching jars for yet. Back before I started cooking more ethnic foods, my life was without spice beyond that of black pepper and granulated garlic.  It was a boring life. And then I met curry and my life changed forever, and then it changed again when I met masalas. And I could never go back. 

But before all that, every year at Christmas, I would get a small glimpse into what must be paradise for those who love spices. I loved (and still do) the crispy, peppery, little gingersnaps, and the pungent fruit cake laden with nuts dates and candied fruits. I could eat them both the whole holiday season long - for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But there comes the sensible question each year when it we begin to bake our Christmas cookies - how many types of cookies should we make this year? And since I don’t actually have my own army, the answer should not be in the double digits although my initial list always begins there.  Then I have to whittle down the list to the must haves based on family vote and then I’m left inwardly skulking because the cookies I really want but definitely do not need get struck from the list. I don’t skulk for long because it is very difficult to skulk when your kitchen smells of butter, brown sugar and spices.

So this year I thought to myself, why not cheat?  I don’t cheat very often, but sometimes you have to and so I did. I smooshed two recipes together to make a singular spicy, fruitnutty cookie that is chewy and pairs perfectly with my morning coffee and my evening tea and isn’t bad at snacktime with a glass of milk either.

 

Molasses and Spice Fruitcake Cookies  (Printable Recipe)

Makes 6 dozen

• 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• or ½ cup of spiced rum reduced to syrup on the stovetop
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 cup mixed candid fruit (with citron or without if you dislike it)
• 1 cup chopped mixed nuts
• 1 cup golden raisins

Sift together

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (optional but so good!)
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 cup candied cherries

Preheat your oven to 350^oF. Blend sugar and butter for 4 minutes on medium with your electric mixer. Add the molasses and blend for another minute, then add the extracts and blend for another minute. Add the fruits and nuts and mix for another minute then add the sifted ingredients. Drop by teaspoonful on a baking sheet lined with parchment, top with a candied cherry or two and bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.