Shannon hosted a Gingerbread Party during December, and I shared my Gingerbread men cookies, bread basket liner, and aprons at her party. I was one of the lucky prize winners from the Gingerbread Party, and my prize package contained a Christmas Cookies cookbook, a Gingerbread oven mitt, and a Gingerbread spatula. The day the package arrived in the mail my granddaughter Ginger happened to be at my house visiting, so she was excited to help me open my goodies.
I couldn’t wait to start using the cookbook. The title of the book is Christmas Cookies, and it has some beautiful traditional cookies for the Christmas season. Like these Christmas Stocking Cookies . . .
. . . and these Reindeer Cookies.
But some of the cookies in the cookbook can be enjoyed at any time of year, like the Fruit Cookies that I made today. The cookies are made with dried fruit – both cranberries and blueberries – and they’re topped with pine nuts for a delicate crunch. In the cookbook the cookies are called Blueberry, Cranberry, and Cinnamon Cookies, but because I love a simplified recipe title, I am renaming them “Fruit Cookies”.
Fruit Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
scant 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pine nuts, chopped
Place the pine nuts in a shallow dish. Scoop up a tablespoon of the cookie dough, roll into a ball, then roll the ball in the pine nuts to coat. Place on the prepared pan, spaced well apart and flatten slightly. Bake in preheated oven for 10 -15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 – 10 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.
You’ll need dried cranberries, blueberries and pine nuts for these cookies.
Roll the balls of cookie dough in the chopped pine nuts before baking.
Place the cookie dough balls on parchment paper and flatten slightly.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes.
These cookies are a real treat. They would be a wonderful addition to a Christmas cookie tray, but they are also a fruity warm treat on a cold January day. Thanks, Shannon, I’m going to enjoy my new cookbook, oven mitt, and spatula.
I love the combination of blueberry and cranberry in the cookie. I am always looking for cookies, my husband will like and this sounds like one, just for him.
Hi Anita-
Thanks for the wonderful post and link to my blog. How fun for you and your granddaughter to get to enjoy the gift together! Your cookies look really yummy, and I know I'd like them since I love pine nuts. But Anita, aren't you supposed to be sharing them with us? Just pass over some milk and a few cookies, and I'll be a happy gal. Hee hee!
Thank you for adding my new button on your sidebar. Hope to see you on Monday night.
Hi Anita I also won from Shannon, I made the box of gingerbread whoppie pies. They were very good. Nice post andi
They look wonderful!
Thanks so much for sharing on Friday Food at Momtrends. Love this cookbook. Your photos are really terrific too. Have a great weekend.
Those look beautiful! I love the idea of using dried blueberries in a cookie. Yum! Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday today!
These cookies are great – just the kind I can eat all day!:)
These are great cookies! My son would really love them! Thanks for sharing at Mrs Foxs Sweet Party! Have a sweet week! 🙂