mini fruitcakes

Today I have the most precious little nuggets of goodness to share with you… Mini Fruitcakes! Wait! Don’t roll your eyes! Hear me out. They are the perfect tiny whole wheat and dairy free sweet treat to take to a cookie exchange or add to your holiday cookie platter!

I originally shared this recipe on December 6, 2011. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

When it comes to fruitcakes, you’re either with them or you’re against them. Personally, I love a good fruitcake. Please don’t hold that against me. I’m not saying I like all fruitcakes. I do not go anywhere near the brick-like cakes filled with day-glow cherries.

But I do like a good fruit cake. Meaning, one that has real fruit in it. Lot of nuts. Booze.

This month I am invited to two cookie exchange parties. I wasn’t going to make cookies this year. Instead I was going to try to limit my holiday baking to developing a healthy fruitcake recipe, without the above mentioned day-glow cherries. Then I had a little brainstorm. What if I made little-tiny-mini-fruitcakes and brought them to the exchange?

How To Make Mini Fruitcakes Healthier

• I pitted and chopped Medjool dates, soaked them in hot coffee to soften them up a bit. Then pureed that together to act as the sweetener for the batter instead of refined sugar.
• I also used molasses for that classic fruitcake taste.
• Of course, I had to use whole-wheat flour as I do with most of my baking recipes.
• Instead of crazy green candied cherries, I used dried organic cherries and raisins.
• I upped the flavor with orange zest (which is virtually calorie free), chopped crystallized ginger and a splash of dark rum… oh yeah!
• In a final effort to convert the non-fruitcake-loving crowd, I added a handful of chocolate chips. Who doesn’t love those?

Today also happens to be this month’s Eat Seasonal Round Up where some of my blogging friends come together to share recipes featuring seasonal produce. See our recipes here in this collage and the links below.

Beet & Pomegranate Green Smoothie by JoyFoodSunshine

Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Flavor the Moments

Red Kuri Squash and Fennel Soup with Savory Granola by Floating Kitchen

Garlic and Herb Twice Baked Baby Potatoes by She Likes Food

Roasted Butternut Squash and Grape Crostini by Vintage Mixer

Don’t miss checking out a few of my other Holiday baking favorites…

linzer thumbprint cookies

cranberry almond quick bread

clementine rum balls

peppermint pattie cheesecake

If you make this recipe, or any recipe from Healthy Seasonal Recipes, I always love to hear about it! Please come back and let me know by leaving a comment or star rating. And it’s always fun to connect on social media. So be sure to tag me @healthyseasonal when you do!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

mini fruitcakes

• Author: Katie Webster
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: 48 1x
• Category: dessert
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This Christmas dessert tradition gets a healthier update! These sweet and fruity Mini Fruitcakes are the perfect tiny whole wheat and dairy free sweet treat to take to a cookie exchange or add to your Holiday cookie platter!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ½ cup hot coffee
• ¾ cup chopped, pitted dates (about 8 Medjool)
• 1 cup dried cherries
• ½ cup raisins or golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons dark rum or brandy
• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour (see *ingredient note)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground/powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup avocado oil or organic canola oil
• ½ cup unsulphered molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• ½ cup chopped toasted pecans, plus 48 pieces decorating
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)

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Instructions

1. Arrange oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 mini-muffin pans with muffin cup liners or coat with cooking spray.
2. Pour hot coffee over chopped dates in a small bowl. Toss cherries and raisins with the Bourbon, rum or brandy in another small bowl. Set both aside to soften, 10 to 20 minutes.
3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Puree dates and coffee in a food processor or blender until they form a smooth paste. Scrape out into a large bowl. Add egg, oil, molasses, vanilla and orange zest and stir until combined. Add flour mixture to the date mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, ½ cup chopped pecans, crystallized ginger and the cherry mixture. Stir until the goodies are thoroughly incorporated into the batter.
6. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons into the muffin cups. Sprinkle each with turbinado sugar and place a pecan half on top. Bake, rotating pans half way, until the cakes are puffed and set-up 14 to17 minutes. Let cool 3 to 5 minutes in pans before removing to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.

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Notes

9 mg Cholesterol, 7 g Added Sugar

*ingredient note: white whole wheat and whole wheat flour can be used interchangeably. White whole wheat is milled from hard white spring wheat, and has a more mild flavor. So if your family is whole-wheat shy it is a great place to start. Find it in the baking isle of a good supermarket, or in a health food store. Or order it online from King Arthur Flour

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cakes
• Calories: 180
• Sugar: 14 g
• Sodium: 97 mg
• Fat: 7.5
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 27
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 2 g

Here are the original images associated with this blog post.