Lovey loves date nut bread to enjoy with his coffee in the mornings. I can take it or leave it; I'm more of an eggs and bacon kind of gal.
Lucille gave Lovey and me a basket of dried fruit for Christmas. It had dates, apricots, papaya, peaches, prunes, pineapple, and Angelino plums
As you can see, there aren't enough dates for a loaf of bread so I thought I'd make a bread with a combination of all the fruits. I also decided to soak all of the fruits in booze for three days rather than the 30 minutes the recipe normally suggests.
I chopped up about 2 cups of the fruit combo to fit in a pint mason jar (I packed the jar fairly tight). Then I grabbed a bottle of brandy and poured over the fruit until it reached the top. There wasn't quite enough brandy in my bottle so I used a little rum to fill the jar. You can use whatever booze you choose; brandy just seems to pair well with fruit.
Put the lid on tight, give the jar a gentle shake and place in a cool, dark place for three days. If you think about it you can give the jar a shake each day.
After three days of soaking it's time to bake. Butter the bottom of the pan line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
Butter the parchment and the sides of the pan then sprinkle with flour. Set the pan aside.
This is a typical quick bread recipe where the butter and sugar are creamed
then the eggs and flavorings are added
The flour and spice mixture is added in alternately with the liquids which, for this bread, include freshly squeezed orange juice and the brandy from the fruit.
The fruits and nuts are then stirred in by hand
The batter is turned into the pan, put into a 350° oven
and this is what you get after about an hour.
It's a dense but moist bread with a beautiful texture and flavor.
Rather than the typical flavor of a date nut bread this had the distinct flavor of a fruit cake due to the different fruits used along with the dates. And it is v-e-r-y boozy. I liked it with a slathering of butter.
Drunken Fruit Bread
Yield 1 loaf
Ingredients:
2 cups dried fruit, coarsely chopped
Brandy
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Method:
3 days prior to baking prepare the drunken fruit. Chop all fruit and pack, somewhat tightly, into a pint Mason Jar. Pour enough brandy into the jar to cover the fruit. Secure lid tightly on to jar and store in a dark, cool place.
On baking day, preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare pan by buttering the bottom of an 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" x 2-1/2: loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan.
Drain the brandy from the fruit into a measuring cup. (if you have more of 1/3 cup brandy drained off, treat yourself and sip on it). Combine with the orange juice.
In bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar. with the mixer on low speed add the egg, vanilla and the orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice/brandy to the butter mixture, mixing only until combined.
Fold the fruit into the batter. Fold the pecans into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
This is another cookie that I tried for the first time this year and it will definitely become a Christmas regular.
Prior to making the dough for the cookies a filling is made with dates, orange juice and orange rind. I'm so thankful that dates can be purchased already chopped. I have a not-so-fond childhood memory of being required, every Christmas season, to sit at the kitchen table and chop up those sticky whole dates
Process with the knife blade. You will want the date mixture very smooth.
The cookie has three layers so the dough will be divided. If you have a kitchen scale, separate the dough and weigh into 3 equal pieces.
Line a 9" x 5" loaf pan with foil allowing the sides to hang over.
Knead half of the pecans into 1 portion of dough. Press into the bottom of the loaf pan taking care that the layer is even and firmly tucked into the corners.
For the middle layer, knead the date orange mixture into a portion of the dough. When well incorporated press onto the top of the bottom pecan layer. Use enough pressure to try to keep any air pockets from forming. The more even and neat you make your layers the nicer your cookies will look.
Knead the reminder of the toasted pecans into the last portion of dough. Press this onto the top of the orange date layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Mine stayed in over night.
When you are ready to slice your cookies preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Turn the firm, molded dough out onto a cutting board. Remove and discard the foil. This is what your dough looks like from the side.
Slice the dough lengthwise into 4 sections
My loaf pan sloped a tad on the ends so I trimmed off the end to make it even.
Now you can start your cutting with a straight edge.
Slice each cookie about 1/4" thick and place them 1" apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets, remove to wire racks to cool completely.
I baked one batch until they were quite brown and they crisped up; almost like a thin biscotti. The norm should be a little softer. Lovey liked the over done batch to have with his coffee so all turned out well. However, remember what makes this cookie fine in NOT being over baked. Soft and chewy is what you want.
In addition to the fact that these cookies taste great, here are some other reasons they can be your friend during the holiday:
~ The recipe yields a large quantity, making it a good selection to make for a holiday cookie swap
~ Being a "slice and bake" type of cookie, they're great for keeping a batch of the dough in the refrigerator during the holidays. You'll be able to slice off a few and stick them in the oven when someone stops by for a visit.
Orange Date Nut Cookies
Adapted from Christmas Cookies published by Oxmoor House
Yield 8 dozen
Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) package chopped dates
grated orange rind from 1 medium orange
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 cup butter softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup pecan pieces
Mise en place:
- set out butter to soften
- line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil, allowing foil to extend over edges of pan. Set aside
- cover cookie sheets with parchment paper
- toast the pecans for 8-10 minutes or until browned and aromatic; cool
- grate rind from orange
- juice the orange
- measure out sugar & vanilla
- measure out flour, baking powder and salt
- finely chop pecans and divide in half
Method:
Position knife blade in food processor bowl and add the dates, orange rind and orange juice. Process 45 seconds or until dates are finely chopped.
Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy duty electric stand mixer until blended. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add egg and vanilla, beat well.
In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.
Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Knead 1/2 of the pecans into 1 portion of dough; press into prepared pan. Knead date mixture into 1 portion of dough; press in pan over pecan dough. Knead remaining pecans into remaining dough; press into pan over date dough. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Invert loaf pan onto a cutting board, remove and discard aluminum foil. Cut dough lengthwise into 4 sections. Cut each section of dough crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 9 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets,; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
