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!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 cup hot coffee
- 3/4 cup chopped, pitted dates (about 8 Medjool)
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 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 1/2 teaspoons ground/powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2/3 cup avocado oil or organic canola oil
- 1/2 cup unsulphered molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans, plus 48 pieces decorating
- 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
- 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.
- Stir in chocolate chips, ½ cup chopped pecans, crystallized ginger and the cherry mixture. Stir until the goodies are thoroughly incorporated into the batter.
- 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.
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
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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