Fruit Cake Cookies

 

Another great Pinterest find.  Nanci actually found these while searching and deciding what type of cookie to make for this year's Cookie Swap with our friends.  She decided on another cookie so I decided to make these right away.  I have always loved candied cherries in cookies.  I think they are terrible on their own right out of the container but baked in a cookie, YUM!  This is a great recipe which is very similar to a shortbread cookie but not as crumbly.  They are slightly sweet and buttery and the added texture from the candied cherries and pecans is perfect!  The original recipe can be found at The Merry Gourmet

 

*note - it's really important to freeze the cookie dough overnight otherwise the dough will be too soft to slice into perfect neat slices.  If you don't care about having a sliced cookie then they taste just as good as drop cookies but I still suggest freezing or refrigerating the dough for at least a few hours so it's easier to handle.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups candied cherries
1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Using a handheld mixer, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and cream of tartar until well incorporated. Add in flour mixture to butter mixture slowly, blending after each addition until dough forms. Stir in remaining ingredients (candied cherries and pineapples, pecans).Turn dough out onto wax paper and divide into two equal parts. Roll each into a log, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until firm, approximately 1 hour.  Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 375 degrees F. Slice each log into 1/4 inch thickness. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature.