Fruit & Nut Cinnamon Cookies

 

This is a lovely cookie recipe that I am sharing with you today. I think the original recipe was from Delia Smith, who is a British cook. All I have is the clipping of it which was tucked into my Big Blue Binder.   Delia is a bit of a cultural icon in the U.K. much like Mary Berry. She may not enjoy as much celebrity as Mary, but she is every bit as much beloved.

One of the first cookbooks I received when I moved to the U.K.was her complete collection Cookbook and it was a book that I chose to bring back with me when I came back to Canada, and trust me when I tell you that made it very special. I did not bring back many of my books at all.

These are lovely cookies that I have baked many times.  They are soft cookies. I call them Grandma Cookies because they are very similar to the type of cookies that my grandmother would have baked for us back in the day.

 

They are soft and nicely spiced with cinnamon. I love that they are loaded with plenty of stick soft bits of prune and crunchy toasted walnut pieces.  There is no faffing about with these.  Just drop the batter onto your baking sheet into soft craggy dollops and bake. They have a very cake-like texture when done with crispy edges.

They also smell rather heavenly when they are baking, but I find that anything with Cinnamon in it does, don't you?

This is an excellent recipe for a good, old-fashioned drop cookie that everyone is sure to enjoy.  Slightly sweet, puffy, moreish, and loaded with fiber and goodness. That tasty Cinnamon Glaze finishes them off and turns them into a rather grand cookie.   I hope you will give them a go! You won't regret it. If you bake only one thing this weekend, let it be these!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FRUIT & NUT CINNAMON COOKIES

Simple everyday baking cupboard ingredients. I know I say that all of the time, but it's true. I tend to stay away from recipes for the most part that require special ingredients unless it is a special occasion!

For the cookies:

• 2/3 cup (75g) toasted broken walnuts
• 7 TBS (100g) butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS cream cheese
• 1 large free range, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 TBS wheat bran (not the cereal)
• 1 1/3 cup +1 1/2 TBS (150g) self-raising flour
• pinch fine sea salt
• 12 soft pitted prunes (125g), snipped into small bits (about 12)

For the drizzle glaze:

• 1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• water as needed to make a drizzle icing

 

If you are not fond of prunes or walnuts, you can easily substitute another fruit or nut for them in this recipe.  Chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, diced dried apple, sultana raisins, all work very well as do toasted pecans, macadamia nuts, etc.

Wheat Bran is the outer layer of the kernel of wheat. It is high in fiber and contains protein and many good vitamins. You can often find it in the cereal section of the grocery store, or amongst the baking ingredients from time to time. If you can't find wheat bran you can use oat bran in it's place.

Do make the effort to toast your nuts if possible. Toasting your nuts really enhances their natural nuttiness!

Check out the recipe notes on how to make your own self-rising flour and for instructions on how to toast your nuts.

 

HOW TO MAKE FRUIT & NUT CINNAMON COOKIES

As with any cookie these are fairly easy to make. Just mix, drop and bake. The glaze adds a nice touch.

Preheat the oven to 400*F/ 200*C/gas mark 6. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. (Alternately butter two baking sheets)

Cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.

Stir in the flour, wheat bran, cinnamon and salt. You will have a soft sticky droppable dough. Stir in the prunes and walnuts.

 

Drop onto the prepared baking sheets, using a heaped dessertspoon, leaving several inches between the craggy heaps.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before scooping off onto wire trays to cool.

Whisk together the icing sugar, cinnamon and just enough water to give you a thin drizzle consistency icing.

Flick the glaze over top of each cookie and leave to set before storing in an airtight container.

 

TO MAKE YOUR OWN SELF RAISING FLOUR:

Whisk together 1 cup (125g) of flour and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of fine salt for every cup of flour. This will keep quite a while in an airtight container. I usually make up 3 or 4 cups at a time.

TO TOAST WALNUTS:

Walnuts can go from toasted to burnt in a blink of an eye, so keep an eye on them. Preheat your oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Spread your walnuts onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes until you can just start to smell them toasting. Start checking them at 5 minutes.

 

These are lovely and soft and spiced just right with cinnamon. I loved the sticky sweetness from the prunes and that beautiful toasty crunch of the walnuts.  

I also loved that they were filled with fiber, between the prunes and the use of wheat bran.  Altogether a delicious cookie that is just as comfortable with a hot drink as it is with a cold glass of milk or a dish of ice cream!

I also loved that it didn't make a ton of cookies.

 

Are you a cookie monster like I am?  If so you might also enjoy the following smaller batch cookie recipes.  I find as a single person living on my own a smaller batch recipe is much safer! ha ha

CHEWY PINEAPPLE AND COCONUT COOKIES - These are gorgeously chewy and buttery coconut cookies!  They are not crisp cookies and are not dunking cookies. They are indulgent cookies, with crisp edges . . .  but beautifully chewy centers, LOADED with the flavors of coconut and pineapple.  If you are feeling especially indulgent you can add some toasted macadamia nuts.

QUARTER CUP COOKIES - This is a small batch recipe for a cookie recipe that was originally called 10 cup cookies. It made a ton.  One cup each of ten different ingredients. I downsized it to 1/4 cup of each ingredient and ended up with 13 beautiful, delicious cookies. Butter, creamy peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, flour, chocolate chips, quick cooking oats, shredded sweetened coconut, chopped pecans and raisins.  Ten simple ingredients.  Ingredients most of us have on hand most of the time.  These are a real favorite.

Yield: 20 cookies

Author: Marie Rayner

Fruit & Nut Cinnamon Cookies

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min

Soft, spicy and loaded with fruit and toasted walnuts. If you don't like prunes, feel free to use raisins in their place. These smell heavenly when baking. They are delicious!

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2/3 cup (75g) toasted broken walnuts
• 7 TBS (100g) butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS cream cheese
• 1 large free range, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 TBS wheat bran (not the cereal)
• 1 1/3 cup +1 1/2 TBS (150g) self-raising flour
• pinch fine sea salt
• 12 soft pitted prunes (125g), snipped into small bits (about 12)

For the drizzle glaze:

• 1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• water as needed to make a drizzle icing

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/ 200*C/gas mark 6. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. (Alternately butter two baking sheets)
2. Cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
3. Stir in the flour, wheat bran, cinnamon and salt. You will have a soft sticky droppable dough. Stir in the prunes and walnuts.
4. Drop onto the prepared baking sheets, using a heaped dessertspoon, leaving several inches between the craggy heaps.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before scooping off onto wire trays to cool.
6. Whisk together the icing sugar, cinnamon and just enough water to give you a thin drizzle consistency icing.
7. Flick the glaze over top of each cookie and leave to set before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

TO MAKE YOUR OWN SELF RAISING FLOUR:

Whisk together 1 cup (125g) of flour and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of fine salt for every cup of flour. This will keep quite a while in an airtight container. I usually make up 3 or 4 cups at a time.

TO TOAST WALNUTS:

Walnuts can go from toasted to burnt in a blink of an eye, so keep an eye on them. Preheat your oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Spread your walnuts onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes until you can just start to smell them toasting. Start checking them at 5 minutes.

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