Candied Fruit

[Kitchen Witch]

How about some recipes using candied fruits??

[Kitchen Witch]

Festive Fruitcake Bars


* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon allspice
* 1 1/2 cups mixed candied fruits and peels, about 12 ounces total
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 8 ounces chopped dates
* zest of 1 lemon


Heat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.

Into a mixing bowl, measure flour, sugars, milk, butter, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and spices. With mixer at low speed, beat ingredients just until blended.

Increase speed to hight and beat for 3 minutes. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl occasionally. Using a wooden spoon, stir in candied fruits and peels, pecans, dates, and lemon zest. Spread batter into prepared jelly roll pan.

Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Top will spring back when lightly touched with finger.. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 3x1-inch bars. STore in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 50 bars.

[Kitchen Witch]

Christmas Fruit Nut Wreath Cookies


* 1 cup soft butter or margarine
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
* 1 egg
* 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup finely chopped red candied cherries
* confectioners' sugar icing, thin
* flaked or shredded coconut (tinted, if desired)

Beat butter until creamy; add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Sift flour and baking powder together; stir into butter mixture. Stir in oats, nuts and chopped cherries. Shape into wreaths.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets in a 350 degree F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes. When cool, frost with a thin confectioners' sugar icing. Sprinkle with coconut and decorate with additional chopped pieces of candied cherries.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

To tint coconut, put coconut in a plastic storage bag. Add a few drops of food coloring and shake well until coconut is evenly tinted. If using paste color, thin a dab with a few drops of water first.

For thin icing, mix about 1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk. Add a little more milk to thin more, if necessary.

[Kitchen Witch]

Christmas Fruit Jewels


* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, stir before measuring
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1/2 cup chopped nuts
* 1/3 cup chopped candied cherries
* 2 tablespoons chopped candied fruits
* 2 tablespoons chopped candied peels


Preheat oven lo 375°. Sift flour with baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Beat together shortening, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until well-blended. Blend in half of flour mixture, then milk, then remaining flour mixture.

Stir in chopped nuts, cherries, candied fruit and peel. Drop by level tablespoons about 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets. Press lightly with a flat-bottomed glass covered with a damp cloth. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375°. Makes about 3 dozen fruit cookies.

[Kitchen Witch]

Fruitcake Bites


* 1/2 cup honey
* 6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
* 1 cup golden raisins
* 1 pound chopped candied fruit mix
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 1/4 cups flour
* 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon each allspice
* 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts


In a saucepan over medium heat, combine honey and orange juice; bring to a boil. Add raisins; continue to boil 2 minutes. Cool. Add candied fruit. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour and spices to the fruit mixture, add nuts and mix well. Stir into batter. Fill mini-baking cups set in mini-muffin tins. Fill about 3/4 full. Bake at 350° for 25 mins.

Cool and store in airtight containers after covering with bourbon or rum soaked cheese cloth.
Makes 30 to 36 fruitcake bites.

[Kitchen Witch]

PANETTONE

1 oz. baker's yeast
3 oz. flour
2 cups flour
7 tbs. sugar
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks
salt
1/2 cup melted butter
6 tbs. raisins, soaked and squeezed
2 oz. candied orange and lemon peel, diced
1 1/2 tbs. butter

Mix the yeast with the flour and as much water as necessary for the dough to be elastic. Wrap in a towel and put into a warm draft-free place (an unlit oven, for example) until doubled in size (it should take approx. 30 mins) and the surface is uneven. Make a small fontana with 4 tbs. flour. Crumble the dough cake on top of it, add 1/2 cup warm water and knead until the dough is elastic. Let rise in a warm place for 3 hours.

Punch down the dough, and then, knead in another 4 tbs. flour, with as much warm water as necessary. Place the dough in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. Combine the sugar, the whole egg and the yolks. Mix well and cook in a double boiler for a few minutes, beating the mixture with a whisk so that it becomes light and airy. Let cool.

Make another fontana with the remaining flour. Put in a pinch of salt, the risen dough, the butter and the egg mixture into the middle. Knead energetically for 20 mins. When the dough is smooth and elastic, add the raisins and candied peel. Grease and flour a sheet of waxed paper and place the dough in the center. Make a ring around it with a rectangular piece of cardboard and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Cut a cross on top of the cake with a sharp knife and put 1 tbs. butter in the middle. Cook the panettone in a pre-heated 400ºF oven for 40-45 mins. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry.