Christmas Fruitcake

November is the perfect time to prepare for Christmas.🎄 This week, I've ordered nuts and dark chocolate chips to have on hand to bake cookies. Buying a few items at a time is the way to do it. Planning and making lists equal calm.

The following recipe is a David Parke share. David Parke is a Facebook friend of mine from the United Kingdom, who retired after years of serving on Queen Elizabeth II's staff. I have no idea what position he held and haven't had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but he uploads very tempting recipes. My classmate, a romance author, makes the best fruitcake ever found here, but it requires lots of Kentucky bourbon and weeks of time. My in-person friend has so many requests for her fruitcakes, she began selling them.

If you don't order or make hers, try this one uploaded on Facebook by David Park:

Christmas Fruitcake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups mixed dried fruits (raisins, cherries, apricots, and cranberries)

1/2 cup candied orange peel

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup dark rum (or orange juice for a non-alcoholic version)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Optional Glaze:

1/4 cup apricot or peach jam, warmed

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tsp milk (adjust as needed for consistency)

David's directions as quoted verbatim ...

"Instructions:

1. Prepare the Fruit Mixture --

In a bowl, combine the mixed dried fruits, candied orange peel, and nuts. Pour the rum (or orange juice) over the mixture, cover, and let it soak for at least 2 hours or overnight for the best flavor.

2. Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Pan --

Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and line a 9-inch loaf pan or round cake pan with parchment paper.

3. Mix the Dry Ingredients --

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Make the Batter --

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
• Fold in the soaked fruit and nuts, along with any remaining liquid from soaking.

5. Bake the Cake --

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Optional Glaze:

For a festive glaze, mix the powdered sugar with milk until smooth. Brush the warm jam over the cake, then drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze.

Details:

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus soaking time)

Bake Time: 60-75 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours (including soaking)

Servings: 8-10 slices

Tips:

a) Storage: Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in an airtight container. This cake tastes even better after a few days!

b) Flavor Boost: Brush the cake with additional rum or fruit juice every few days for extra moisture and depth of flavor.

This Christmas Fruitcake Delight will bring a taste of the holiday spirit to your table. Each slice is packed with festive flavors and warm holiday memories—perfect for a cozy winter celebration!"

I aim to make this fruitcake (for Thanksgiving?). It looks sensational! Hmm, I must grab some dried fruit while shopping for my weekly groceries. Nowadays for Christmas, I prefer confections that aren't super sweet yet have other flavors and textures creating a party in your mouth! Like European cakes and pastries, call them adult sophisticated sweets if you will!

Thanks, David Park, for the share!

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Are Almond Skins Bad For Us?

Photo: iStock

Almonds are a nutritional powerhouse. There are two varieties: editable sweet and noneditable bitter almonds. 

Sweet almonds are the variety we buy to eat.

Noneditable bitter almonds contain a toxin, called glycoside amygdalin that when eaten, gets broken down into hydrogen cyanide, a toxic compound that can cause accidental death in adults who consume 10 to 12 of them.

Photo: iStock

Editable sweet almonds are sold in supermarkets and specialty food shops. They are high in fiber and antioxidants like flavonoids and vitamin E, protecting us against free radicals that cause chronic disease and premature aging. Vitamin E reduces inflammation, boosts immunity;and helps widen blood vessels to improve blood flow. Almonds are a natural fighter against obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, gut health, and Alzheimer's.

Compared to other nuts, sweet "almonds are one of the healthiest nuts to eat. They are higher in fiber, protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, magnesium, calcium, iron, folate acid, and other nutrients." Many of their nutrients like vitamin E are contained in their skin. Almond skins are not only good to eat, but they also provide additional antioxidants and fiber.

Some people like to soak their almonds in water for up to 8 hours. According to certain health nuts, it makes the almonds more digestible, enhances nutrient absorption, and adds prebiotic properties to promote a healthier gut microbiome. Whether soaking provides benefits is undetermined. Health nuts are not necessarily wrong, it just means there have not been scientific studies to back their claims. This could be because nobody has put up money to conduct the research, or the studies conducted can't establish cause-and-effect conclusions.

Dry almonds right out of the bag are a healthy snack too. Removing the skin of almonds is a taste or texture preference. Skinless almonds have fewer nutrients than almonds with skins. When people worry that the skins of almonds are poisonous, they confuse sweet with bitter almonds. Almonds sold in first-world countries are sweet almonds. They are wholesome, and 100% of an almond is safe to eat.

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Homemade Nut Bars

I almost bought these Kind bars today, a box of 12, six of each. In my hand and being carted around the store, they were neither expensive nor cheap nor low in calories. So I returned them to the shelf and thought, "Why should I pay $15 for 12 nut bars?" Instead, I could eat 12 nuts chased down with a spoonful of honey for sweetness. I don't need to buy these bars! Surely I can make a simple nut bar at home for less than $15 bucks.

Here's the recipe I came up with ... a step beyond chucking 12 almonds with a bit of honey into my mouth. Fast and easy, we can do it: 

Simple Rustic Nut Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup of almonds

1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts)

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup of any other favorite nuts you like - hazelnuts or pistachios, pine nuts, peanuts, (or even pumpkin seeds)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar syrup (or maple syrup)

Optional: 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or a swirl of melted chocolate if you wish to mimic a Kind bar. Omit the chocolate for less calories.

Directions:

1) In a 350 degree F oven, spread out the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 15 minutes.

2) After the nuts are toasted and cooled, toss them into a mixing bowl. Leave the almonds whole if you wish. Break some of the nuts up if you wish.

3) Next add the other dry ingredients to the mixing bowl.

4) Follow with the wet ingredients of honey and syrup. Mix and coat well.

5) Press into a parchment lined (or buttered) baking pan.

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Hot bubbling honey will bind the mixture together. Don't continue baking too long after it bubbles. Remove from the oven.

7) Let the uncut baked nuts and honey bars cool completely. 

8) Cut into bars. Store what you don't eat in a cookie tin or container.

Enjoy a healthy snack!

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Sweets And Treats As Holiday Gifts

Some people are difficult to buy gifts for because they really don't need anything, or we are unsure of their tastes. For these folks I select delicious treats I'd be delighted to receive. If I don't know what you want, I'll get you what I want, (and ha, maybe you'll share it with me!😋) Here are 5 additional gifts to consider:

1) Dark chocolate Belgium truffles (see above↑) would probably top my list. A special treat at Christmas when visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads!

2) Dark chocolate is also perfection combined with a thick layer of white chocolate and pieces of peppermint. Williams-Simona offers their peppermint bark starting in November. Select dark, or milk chocolate.

A refreshing and irresistible candy; and this year you can personalize the tin, if you wish. Putting a name on the tin adds an $8 charge.

3) With cookies and sweets in abundance, a gift of deluxe nuts is a lovely change ... and healthy. This salty snack may last into the New Year.

4) A box of chocolate covered Oreos is another holiday gift idea. You can either purchase them finished; or buy Oreos, dip them into melted Baker's chocolate and box them yourself for less money, depending on how busy and industrious you are. Cheapest price/but for 5 lbs at CandyStore.com.

5) The last gift idea is a box of good ole American Russell Stover Chocolate Covered Nuts selling at your local drugstore. As a child, I often got a box for Christmas. A winning combination of milk chocolate and nuts, and the quality of the chocolate is good (which unforturnately isn't always true of American chocolate).

All are gifts people can share with family and friends during the holidays. A hostess needs refreshments to welcome extra people into a home, so thoughtful gifts, indeed!


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