Ina Garten's Fruit Cake Cookies

The story behind these cookies is as delightful as the recipe itself. Created by the legendary Lee Bailey, these fruitcake cookies were designed to transform the classic fruitcake into something approachable and irresistibly delicious. I must say he hit the nail on the head, without a doubt!

Bailey’s vision caught the attention of Ina Garten, who was running her specialty food store, Barefoot Contessa, at the time. She was tasked with baking an impressive 600 pounds of these cookies for sale at Saks Fifth Avenue during the holidays. The collaboration was a hit, introducing these festive treats to an even wider audience. Later, Ina featured the recipe in her cookbook, Barefoot Contessa at Home, ensuring this gem would continue to grace holiday celebrations for years to come. And it truly has—this is one recipe you won’t want to miss!

Prep Time: 50 mins Total Time: 16h | Serves: 48

Ingredients

• 1 cup figs, chopped

• 1 cup raisins

• 1 cup candied cherries, chopped

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 cup pecans, chopped

• 4 tablespoons brandy

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 sticks (½ pound) vegan butter (@earthbalance)

• ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground cloves

• ⅓ cup sugar

• ⅓ cup light brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour

• 4 sheets of parchment paper

Instructions

Step 1

Chop up the fruit and nuts and place them in a glass bowl. Make sure you take off the stems on the figs. Add the honey, lemon juice and brandy and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside so that the flavors develop. Leave it overnight in the fridge.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter and the sugars. Add the cloves, salt and egg and mix until just combined. Mix in the flour and then add the fruit, nuts and juices from the bowl. Mix again until well combined.

Step 3

Place the mixture on a cutting board lined with parchment paper and mix by hand to ensure that everything is well combined. Split the batter into three equal parts and place each piece on its own piece of parchment and roll them into logs (about 18-20 inches long). Wrap each of the logs (still in the parchment) and place them into the fridge for 2-3 hours until they are firm.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 335 ºF (168 ºC).

Step 5

Cut the logs into ½ inch wide discs and lay out on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies have just turned golden brown. Allow to cool on cookie racks.