Iced Ambrosia Drops

Think of these as fruitcake in cookie form, but better. A brown sugar butter dough spiced with cinnamon and ground cloves holds together a generous mix of raisins, candied fruit, chopped dates, and walnuts, then gets topped with a simple vanilla icing after baking.

The brown sugar base gives these a deeper, more caramelly sweetness than white sugar would. Creaming it with butter until light and fluffy incorporates air that keeps the cookies from turning into dense little pucks despite all the heavy mix-ins.

Each teaspoon-sized drop bakes up in just 8 to 10 minutes, which is fast enough for a batch of three dozen. The vanilla icing sets up smooth and white against the golden, fruit-studded cookie, making them look like they came from a bakery box.

Chef Tips

• Chop the dates and candied fruit into small, uniform pieces so they distribute evenly through the batter.
• Don’t overbake. Pull them when they’re just golden. The dried fruit and dates continue to firm up as they cool, and overbaking makes them hard instead of chewy.
• Let the cookies cool completely on wire racks before icing. Warm cookies melt the icing and it slides off.
• The icing should be smooth and pourable but not runny. Add milk a few drops at a time until you get the right consistency.

Variations

• Rum ambrosia drops: Add a tablespoon of dark rum to the icing instead of milk for a boozy holiday version.
• Tropical version: Swap the raisins and dates for dried mango and crystallized ginger for a brighter, more modern flavor.