When you add just the right amount of booze to your baking, it sure tastes AMAZING, and these Glazed Fruitcake Cookies have become one of my absolute new favorite holiday treats because of the rum factor.
From my previous post, you’ll know that I was not a fan of fruitcake growing up, or even into my adult life. Then, I created a fruitcake from scratch using dried fruits I liked, and now I’ve tried a revamped Fruitcake Cookie recipe that I liked, and I think the secret is the fruit you choose, and the booze you choose of course.
I used to not like alcohol in my food, either. I guess the secret is being the one creating the food and being the one choosing the amount and the type of booze!
The balance of the flavors of the booze and the spices you choose are key, and the only way to figure that out is by trial and error. If you don’t like the flavor of the booze before you bake with it, you won’t like the final product. Don’t cheap out on the quality of alcohol you use because you think it’s going to be baked off and it just won’t matter. In my opinion, cheap booze tastes cheap, plain and simply. It doesn’t need to be the most expensive, but it definitely shouldn’t be the least expensive either. If you aren’t sure, I generally go for the bottle that is in between the high/low priced bottles and I’ve never been disappointed.
I started with the Glazed Fruitcake Cookies recipe from Bake From Scratch Magazine, but I didn’t stick to it exactly and I switched it up to my taste and tweaked the recipe to my liking. So, I definitely didn’t use the fruits as listed! They didn’t sound like a good combo to me (remember, I hate traditional fruitcake), so I used dried sour cherries, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and dried candied orange peel, and bumped up some of the spices and a few other minor changes. (please contact me if you want my version of this recipe!)
I used Sailor Jerry Rum…because I liked the price and I liked the tattoo artwork on the label. I don’t drink much alcohol, so it was a gamble, but it paid off. It’s really good, and the warm spices are well balanced and it’s not too harsh or weirdly artificial flavored like some other spiced rums I’ve tried, which shall remain nameless. If you prefer another brand, by all means, use it!
The dried fruit is soaked in booze, and then is also added straight into the glaze, so if you’re avoiding alcohol, these cookies should be avoided. They definitely have the aroma of warm spices and taste of the warmth of the spiced rum, without that ‘alcohol’ taste. I’m pretty sure kids won’t like them…I wouldn’t have liked these as a kid, so I can only assume your kids won’t either!
Perfect for your holiday table, or sharing with friends, I hope these Glazed Fruitcake Cookies become a holiday favorite for you, too!
