November/December 2009
Makes about two dozen 1½-inch squares
Adapted from Cookie Swap
- 1 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup blanched, slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup candied orange peel, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup citron, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 11/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch ground white pepper
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- Powdered sugar (for dusting cookie bottoms)
Line bottom and sides of 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Affix paper with a bit of butter in each pan corner. (Avoid excessive pan greasing, which will make it difficult to remove bars later.) Lightly coat paper with nonstick cooking spray, and set pan aside.
Put rack in center of oven; preheat to 300 degrees.
Mix nuts, candied orange peel, citron, crystallized ginger, lemon zest, flour, spices, and pepper in large bowl, breaking apart fruit or ginger pieces stuck together.
Place granulated sugar and honey in 3-quart saucepan. Stir until sugar is evenly moistened, then add butter pieces. Place mixture over medium to medium-high heat, and bring to gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup registers 246 to 248 degrees on candy thermometer. (Syrup will be ready when a small drop forms a firm yet malleable ball in ice water.) Immediately pour over fruit-flour mixture, and stir until well-blended. Work quickly or syrup will cool and stiffen, making mixture difficult to spread. Transfer batter to prepared pan, and spread to uniform thickness with small offset spatula.
Bake 40 to 42 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned around edges but soft in the center. (Batter will harden considerably as it cools.) Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let fruitcake cool completely in pan.
Invert pan onto cutting board. If fruitcake doesn’t fall out on its own, loosen by running small knife along the edge and rapping pan against your work surface. Peel parchment paper off fruitcake and invert, so top faces up. Using a sharp knife, trim fruitcake block to a perfect square, then cut into 1½-inch squares.
Store in airtight container lined with parchment paper. Dust cookie bottoms with powdered sugar to prevent sticking, and do not stack. Cookies can be stored five to seven days.
