I reworked this recipe from Nigella Lawson for I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

200 grams prunes, chopped
100 grams of dried apricots, chopped
150 grams of dried figs, chopped
250 grams raisins
50 grams dried cherries
175 grams soft unsalted butter
175 grams dark brown sugar
175 millilitres honey
125 millilitres coffee liqueur
2 – 3 oranges (juice and zest)
1 teaspoon mixed spice
4 tablespoons cocoa
3 large eggs (beaten)
150 grams plain flour
75 grams ground almonds
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm / 8-inch round, 9cm / 3½ inch deep, loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment. Before proceeding any further, read the following which explains how to do it if you need the encouragement. The paper should come up higher than the sides of the tin; think of a lining that’s twice as deep as the tin. Cut out two circles of paper, and two very long rectangles that will fit along the sides of the tin coming up from it like a top hat. Before you put the rectangular cut-out paper in, fold one long side in of both pieces, as if turning up a hem of about 2cm / 1 inch, and then take some scissors and snip into this hem, at intervals of about 2cm / 1 inch – as if you were making a rough frill. Grease the tin, lay one circle on the bottom and get one of your long pieces, then fit with the frilly edge along the bottom, which you press down to sit flat on the circle to hold it in place. Press the paper well into the sides, and repeat with the second piece. Now place the second circle of paper on the bottom of the tin, but on top of the two pressed-down frilly edges, which will also help to hold the pieces around the edge in place. Finally, wrap the tin with brown parcel paper, again making it higher than the sides, and tie it in place with kitchen twine.

Put the fruit, butter, sugar, runny honey, coffee liqueur, orange juice and zests, spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan and bring to the boil gently, stirring as the butter melts. Simmer for 10 minutes, and then take off the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes add the beaten eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Pour the fruit cake mixture into the prepared cake tin. Place in the oven and bake for 1¾–2 hours, by which time the top of the cake should be firm but will have a shiny and sticky look. If you insert a cake tester into the centre of the cake it will still be a little gooey in the middle.

Put the cake on a cooling rack. It will hold its heat and take a while to cool, but once it has, unmould it from the tin and, if you don’t want to eat it immediately (and like any fruit cake it has a very long life), wrap it in baking parchment and then in foil and place in a tin.

The hardest part was rolling out the marshmallow fondant.

INGREDIENTS

Cake
2/3 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons dark rum
12 ounces cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup milk

Marshmallow Fondant
16 ounce package mini marshmallows
2-5 Tablespoons water
8 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

Rum Buttercream Frosting
6 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon dark rum
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Candied Cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Fondant

Frosting
In large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in rum and 3 tablespoons milk. Gradually beat in enough remaining milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make frosting smooth and spreadable. Frost cupcakes. Decorate with dried fruit and pecans.

Assembly
Decorate however you like. I frosted each cake with buttercream and then rolled out fondant.  I followed the directions for candied cranberries in link above.

These cookies remind me of my childhood in New Jersey.  I used to think they were magic.  They are super easy to make. And they taste delicious.

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
8 ounces of almond paste
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
25 drops red food coloring
25 drops green food coloring
1 (12-oz) jar apricot preserves, heated and strained
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

DIRECTIONS

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 ends, then butter paper.

Beat whites in mixer fitted with whisk attachment at medium-high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. Add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating at high speed until whites hold stiff, slightly glossy peaks. Transfer to another bowl.

Switch to paddle attachment, then beat together almond paste and remaining 3/4 cup sugar until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks and almond extract and beat until combined well, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add flour and salt and mix until just combined.

Fold half of egg white mixture into almond mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Divide batter among 3 bowls. Stir red food coloring into one and green food coloring into another, leaving the third batch plain. Set white batter aside. Chill green batter, covered. Pour red batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with offset spatula (layer will be about 1/4 inch thick).

Bake red layer 8 to 10 minutes, until just set.

Using paper overhang, transfer layer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Clean pan, then line with parchment or wax paper and butter paper in same manner as above. Bake white layer in prepared pan until just set. As white layer bakes, bring green batter to room temperature. Transfer white layer to a rack. Prepare pan as above, then bake green layer in same manner as before. Transfer to a rack to cool.

When all layers are cool, invert green onto a parchment or wax-paper-lined large baking sheet. Discard paper from layer and spread with half of preserves. Invert white on top of green layer, discarding paper. Spread with remaining preserves. Invert red layer on top of white layer and discard wax or parchment paper.

Cover with plastic wrap and weight with a large baking pan. Chill at least 8 hours.

Remove weight and plastic wrap. Bring layers to room temperature. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Keep chocolate over water.

Trim edges of assembled layers with a long serrated knife. Quickly spread half of chocolate in a thin layer on top of cake. Chill, uncovered, until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and place another baking sheet on top, then invert cake onto sheet and remove paper. Quickly spread with remaining chocolate. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Cut lengthwise into 4 strips (I cut them into more, because I wanted them 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide, as I remember them). Cut strips crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide cookies.

Do ahead: Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks. They’ll keep even longer in the freezer.

Reprinted from Smitten Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups coconut
1/2 cup candied lemon rind
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1egg, lightly beaten for brushing on top of loaves

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, hand mix coconut, finely copped candied lemon rind, sugars, baking powder, and flour.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add the vanilla and whisk until well blended. Add to the flour mixture. Work the batter together with lightly floured hands. The mixture will be sticky, but persevere. Keep squeezing the batter with your hands, until a dough starts to form. Once the dough is firm, form a ball. Divide the ball into four equal pieces.

On a lightly floured surface place one piece of dough, and using your hands, roll into a log shape that is approximately 8 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 3/4 of an inch high. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Place two logs per baking sheet.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the tops of the loaves are shiny and deep golden. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before slicing. Place a loaf on a cutting board, and using a large serrated knife, slice cookies 3/4 of an inch thick on the diagonal. If the cookie is crumbling, then let it cool a few more minutes. Don’t let it rest too long, however, or they could become too hard to slice. Place slices on their sides back on to the baking sheets; place in the still warm oven with the temperature off and the door closed for 30-60 minutes. The longer they stay in the oven, the harder they will become. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an air-tight container, preferably a tin, which helps keep them crisp. Stored properly, biscotti will last up to a month.

Thanks for this basic recipe from Food52.

Let’s get the holiday baking started!

INGREDIENTS

Cookies
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour

Icing
2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or honey
1 to 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt butter, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices.

Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, and beat in the egg.

Whisk the baking powder and soda into the flour, and then stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.

Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a thick rectangle. Wrap well, and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer. The dough may be sticky and hard to roll if not thoroughly chilled, so make sure it’s cold before continuing.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Get out several baking sheets; there’s no need to grease them, though lining with parchment saves effort on cleanup.

Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean work surface. Roll the dough 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick; the thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the cookies will be. Flour both the top and bottom of the dough if it starts to stick. Alternatively, place the dough on parchment, and put a sheet of plastic wrap over it as you roll, pulling the plastic to eliminate wrinkles as necessary when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need for additional flour.

Cut out shapes with a floured cookie cutter, cutting them as close to one another as possible to minimize waste.

Transfer the cookies to ungreased cookie sheets (or, if you’ve rolled right onto the parchment, remove the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies just until they’re slightly brown around the edges 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they’re set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

For icing, mix all of the ingredients together. Stir until smooth; a fork works fine. The glaze should be thick, but soft enough to “settle” when you spread it. If the glaze is too thick, dribble in another teaspoon of milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Decorate as desired with icing and sprinkles.

The Italians really know what they are doing when it comes to making simple cookies that go perfectly with a cup of coffee.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 teaspoons of ground anise
2 1/2 cups of flour
3 eggs + 1 egg for brushing
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of almond extract

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl if mixer, mix the sugars, ground anise, baking powder, and flour.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Add to the flour mixture. Mix until dough comes together.

On a lightly floured surface separate dough into four equal pieces. Roll one piece at a time into a log shape that is approximately 8 inches long, 2 inches wide. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Place two logs per baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops of the loaves are shiny and deep golden. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before slicing. Place a loaf on a cutting board, and using a large serrated knife, slice cookies 3/4 of an inch thick on the diagonal. Place slices on their sides back on to the baking sheets and bake on each side for 7 minutes each.   Remove from oven and cool completely.  They will last for about a month in an air-tight container.

Why not bake with leftovers?

INGREDIENTS

1 pound butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
Juice of one orange + zest
1 cup leftover cranberry sauce
1/2 cup pecans

DIRECTIONS

Well, what were you expecting? I got this recipe from Bon Appetite.

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/4 finely chopped walnuts + extra for topping
12 grapes cut into small pieces
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly grease the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients–milk, butter, eggs.  Take a fork or wire whisk and blend the two briefly–do not overmix. Fold in the nuts and grapes. 

Fill the cups of the muffin pan two-thirds to three-quarters full. Sprinkle nuts on top

Bake the muffins for 10 minutes and then lower over to 350 F and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and as soon as you can handle them turn them out of the pan onto a rack to cool.