Fruit Jewel Cookies

One of life's many little pleasures is a steaming cup of tea accompanied by some dunking cookies! We have a nice bay window in our dining room where we enjoy a lovely view of birch trees and small bushes and if we are lucky we can observe our local band of deer looking for edible tidbits who come by here every few days. So this makes for a very nice break in the afternoon as you can imagine.

I found this recipe and having a weakness for candied fruit and nuts I decided to make it last Saturday.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, stir before measuring
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 2/3 cup chopped candied cherries

Preheat oven lo 375°. Sift flour with baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Beat together shortening, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until well-blended. Blend in half of flour mixture, then milk, then remaining flour mixture. Stir in chopped nuts, candied fruit and peel. Drop by level tablespoons about 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets. Press lightly with a flat-bottomed glass covered with a damp cloth.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375°. Makes about 3 dozen fruit cookies.

I used unsalted butter for the shortening and pecans for nuts - the cookies came out wonderful. When they were freshly baked they were soft, but on the following day they hardened and became perfect dunking cookies.

Unfortunately they did not last beyond the third day, in fact there were only two left which were consumed by a guest before the sun set that evening.