Bourbon Fruitcake Cups

These festive cookies are laced with heady bourbon and finished with a drizzle of white icing. There’s actually more fruit in them than anything else, and even people who say they don’t like fruitcakes adore them.

Yield: 3 dozen

Active time: 25 minutes

Start to finish: 3¹/₂ hours, including 2 hours to macerate fruit

1 cup raisins

¹/₂ cup dried currants

¹/₂ cup chopped pitted dates

¹/₂ cup candied citrus peel

²/₃ cup bourbon, divided

¹/₂ cup chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons soy margarine, softened

¹/₂ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¹/₄ cup mashed ripe banana

¹/₂ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¹/₂ teaspoon baking powder

¹/₂ teaspoon apple pie spice

¹/₄ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 dozen (1-inch) paper baking cups

1. Combine raisins, currants, dates, citrus peel, and ¹/₂ cup bourbon in a mixing bowl, and toss well. Allow mixture to sit at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours, and up to 24 hours, covered with plastic wrap.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

3. Combine margarine and brown sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat at low speed with an electric mixer to blend. Increase the speed to high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in banana, vanilla, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt, and beat for 1 minute. Slowly add flour to margarine mixture, and beat to combine. Fold dried fruit mixture into dough.

4. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough into 1-inch paper baking cups. Arrange filled cups on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until lightly brown. Transfer cups to a cooling rack, and cool completely.

5. Combine confectioners’ sugar and remaining bourbon in a mixing bowl, and beat at low speed with an electric mixer to blend. Drizzle lines of frosting on top of cooled cups.

Note: Keep cookies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Variation:

Substitute rum, Grand Marnier, or Amaretto for the bourbon.

The reason to toast nuts is to create the best crunchy texture and also to release the aromatic nut oils to achieve the best flavor. Any nuts folded into a batter or dough should be pre-toasted. Nuts placed on top will toast during the baking process.