This week’s recipe has a Caribbean twist to it. As I have Jamaican roots, I want to share with you this simple, yummy recipe. Jamaican Fruit Cake Cookies are light and fluffy, absolutely scrumptious. They are the cookie version of a fruit cake. The pecan nuts give the recipe an added texture. This treat can be served with hot custard or topped with whipped cream, or simply served plain. Try this simple recipe and enjoy.
with Sonia
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8 – 13 minutes
Makes 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
l140g castor sugar
l175g butter
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l1 egg
l380g self-raising flour, sieved
l3/4 teaspoon salt
l3/4 tablespoon baking soda
l112ml buttermilk (112 ml milk, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, stir and set aside)
l115g pecans, chopped
l180g glace cherries diced
l120g raisins
l100g canned pineapple (drained)
l80g dried apricots, chopped
Method:
lPre-heat oven to 190°C.
lLine baking tray with baking paper. Alternatively grease and spray baking tray, or you may sprinkle base with flour.
lCream butter and sugar until light.
lAdd egg and beat until well blended.
lReserve a handful of the flour to mix with the fruit in a small bowl; combine remaining flour with the salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
lAdd the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, stirring until smooth paste.
lIn a separate bowl, add pineapple, apricot, cherries, raisins and handful of flour and mix together.
lFold in the floured fruit and chopped pecans.
lMeasure spoonfuls of batter, and place onto greased baking paper, leaving 11/2 to 2 inches between cookies.
lBake at 190°C for 8-13 minutes. Use a knife and insert it into the centre of cookies. If it comes out clean, cookies are ready. If knife has dough remaining on it, cookies are not ready. Leave for additional five minutes. Keep checking. Do not overbake.
lLet cookies cool for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack so as to cool completely.
lServe with hot custard or whipped cream, or plain. Cookies can keep for up to 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container.
Sonia’s tip:
lRemember, always check a few minutes before the stated baking time, and record it so as to monitor baking time.
lIf you fancy crispy cookies, leave cookies to dry in open air uncovered. If you like them soft; cover them with a dish towel as they cool. This preserves the moisture.
lTake your time to follow the baking steps precisely (Part 2).
Pay special attention to key instructions like “cream until light and fluffy”, “mix until just combined” and “fold in gently”. Overmixing overdevelops gluten and deflates the air pockets you worked so hard to create, as does a vigorous or overzealous folding motion. A note on sifting ingredients: Unless it’s ultralight, ultra-delicate cake flour, or powdered sugar that needs as much aeration as it can get, it’s a step you can skip.
Happy baking.
lButter and flour your pans generous happy baking!
lFollow Rudo Sonia on Instagram: @soniascakes. For enquiries, email: [email protected] or Facebook handle: Rudo Sonia Mudimu (Rudo Sonias Cakes)
