Fruitcake Cookies

If the idea of a dense holiday fruitcake gives you pause, these fruitcake cookies are the workaround. All the flavors of a traditional fruitcake get packed into drop-cookie form: candied pineapple and cherries, golden raisins, pecans, brandy, cinnamon, and nutmeg, baked into tender little bites.

Dredging the fruit and nuts with flour before mixing is the step that keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the dough. That dusting of flour gives the fruit enough grip on the batter to stay suspended, so every cookie has an even scatter of pineapple, cherry, and pecan.

The separated-egg method is old-fashioned in the best way. Yolks go in with the creamed butter for richness, then whipped whites fold in at the end to lighten the batter. The result bakes up tender instead of dense, which is what separates these from their loaf-pan ancestor.

A splash of brandy does real work here, cutting through the candied sweetness and amplifying the warm spices. These are cookies that improve after a day or two in a tin.

Chef Tips

• Room-temperature egg whites whip to stiff peaks faster and to greater volume than cold ones. Pull them from the fridge an hour before baking.
• Chop the candied fruit small. Big chunks make lumpy cookies and dominate the bite.
• Use good pecans and toast them first in a dry pan for 5 minutes. Raw pecans can taste flat against the strong fruit flavors.
• Store in a tin with a piece of orange peel or an apple wedge for a day or two. The moisture keeps them soft and mellows the brandy.

Variations

• Swap brandy for dark rum or bourbon for a different warmth.
• Replace half the pecans with walnuts for a more traditional holiday nut mix.
• Add a handful of mini chocolate chips for a modern twist that plays well with the spiced fruit.