Rum Raisin Fudge

One of the main requests in fudge making this year from my husband is his desire for me to make rum raisin fudge. On the west coast, rum raisin isn’t all that common, but I have seen more examples of it on the east coast and especially in the UK. This is a UK fudge recipe, flavored with rum and raisin, and it is quite different from traditional American-style fudge.

This fudge uses brown sugar (and a lot of it) for the base, which changes the overall texture of the fudge. The original recipe calls for muscovado sugar, which is a type of brown sugar. I was in the British shop and couldn’t recall if I needed muscovado sugar or demerara sugar, but I had already stocked up on regular brown sugar so I ended up using that. I do try to make different British recipes, but the best advice is to stay flexible and use what ingredients are available.

This is one of the fudge recipes that I made that does require the use of a candy thermometer. When I started doing that, I was so worried that I wouldn’t get the temperature correct, but it just requires a little patience to watch and make sure the fudge doesn’t get overcooked. You do want this fudge to crystallize somewhat, which is different than most of the fudge I made. This fudge is quite sticky and sweet, and has that grainy texture that is typical of British-style fudge.

Rum Raisin Fudge
100 grams raisins
3 tablespoons rum
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
100 grams butter
 500 grams brown sugar

Line an 8” square pan with parchment and spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.

Add the raisins and the rum to a small bowl and allow to soak for at least an hour.     

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time to dissolve the brown sugar. Continue stirring (while boiling) for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 235-240 degrees (soft ball stage). The constant stirring will help avoid burning the mixture in the pan.

Once the mixture reaches temperature, remove it from the heat and add the rum/raisin mixture. Stir vigorously until the fudge begins to crystallize and thicken. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and allow to cool in the refrigerator overnight.

When fully set, remove from the pan and cut into 1” squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Recipe from Woman & Home

Pina Colada Fudge

One of my favorites of all the different types of fudge that my dad used to make was his pina colada fudge. I didn’t really know a lot about fudge, although I do recall the fantastic flavors. I also remember that you can only have a small amount of this fudge as it is so sweet. I found his recipe for this fudge and knew I needed to make it.

This recipe comes from a Pillsbury Bake Off, which tells you a bit about the ingredients. When the competition began in the late 1940s, people used standard ingredients such as flour and sugar. Since this recipe is from the 2002 contest, the requirements are different. Typically, recipes need to include one or two premade or specialty ingredients. This recipe uses Pillsbury vanilla frosting, which is unusual in fudge but explains why this fudge is so sweet.

I do use slightly different recipes from my dad, and I could tell the difference. I use desiccated coconut, which is smaller cut and less sweet than American-style coconut. I also wasn’t sure about the dried pineapple, as what I found was slightly darkened due to the drying process. In the end, the fudge looked as expected, so the pineapple I used was fine. The coconut, since it is a smaller cut, is very prevalent. I like this since I love coconut so much. This tastes a lot like Dad’s, but slightly different. And yes, it is still very sweet.

Pina Colada Fudge
2 cups white chips
3.25 ounces chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
16 ounce can Pillsbury vanilla frosting
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the white chips in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring frequently, until the chips are melted and smooth.

Reserve ¼ cup of chopped macadamia nuts. Fold in the remaining macadamias, vanilla frosting, dried pineapple, coconut, rum and coconut extracts. Mix until thoroughly combined and then spread in the prepared pan. Top with the ¼ cup reserved macadamia nuts.

Refrigerate until firm, at least an hour, before cutting into small squares.

Recipe from Michelle Grosella, BakeOff 2002 via Pillsbury

Rum Nut Thumbprints

It’s time for holiday baking! Over the next month or so, I have selected 12 different treats to make. This year is a little different, for many reasons, but this year I plan to bake 6 holiday cookies and 6 different types of fudge! I have been declared the fudge maker for the family, and I figured it would be good to share those recipes with everyone.

This first recipe is a Rum Nut Thumbprint cookie. It was originally an Eggnog Thumbprint, but it contains rum and virtually no eggnog. I know that anything with rum or rum flavor paired with nutmeg becomes eggnog, but I don’t think that it is quite that simple. I decided to just call them “rum” since that is obviously there. It still isn’t a strong flavor, but that’s ok.

This dough does need time in the refrigerator, so don’t skip that step! The cookies still aren’t the easiest to shape because the dough is either sticky or too firm. Rolling any cookie in egg whites is quite a messy prospect, but it does help the nuts stick. I carefully made an impression on the top of the cookie, but then refined the impression when the cookies were done baking. I piped the rum filling since that is quick and easy. This recipe made about two dozen cookies, less than expected, but that was ok. The combination of rum, nuts, and the filling all come together to make a lovely cookie!

Rum Nut Thumbprints
¾ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
2 egg whites, beaten
1 ½ cup finely chopped nuts

¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon rum
1-3 teaspoons milk/eggnog

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and nutmeg on medium until light. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour. You may need to mix the last bit of flour by hand. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Place the whipped egg whites in one bowl and the chopped nuts in another. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, roll in the egg white and then the chopped nuts. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Make an indentation in the top of each cookie with your thumb or similar tool.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. If needed, reshape the indentation in the top of each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the rum filling: in a mixer bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium. Beat in the rum and 1 teaspoon milk, adding more milk until the filling is of a spreadable consistency.  Spoon or pipe the rum filling into the indentation of each cookie.

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens

Hot Buttered Rum Cookies

Hot Buttered Rum is a favorite at the holidays. It can very a lot, so when you find a version you like it is a good idea to stick with it. One restaurant near us made a great version, but then one year my husband and I noticed that it was no longer on the menu. Figuring that perhaps they had not added specialty drinks yet, we asked. The server and they checked, but they came back and said that it contained an ingredient with trans-fat, and would no longer serve it. While I guess I am happy that they take this approach, there is nothing healthy about Hot Buttered Rum.

When I found this recipe for Hot Buttered Rum cookies, I figured they would be great. The original recipe called for one roll of refrigerated cookie dough. I think sugar cookie dough is so easy to make that I simply make my own, and that is reflected here. The scratch recipe makes more than the needed 16 ounces, so I did not use all of the dough I made. I did refrigerate my sugar cookie dough as I figured that the recipe expected that the dough would be cold and firm, so I figured an hour in the refrigerator would help.

I will say that mixing extra ingredients into sugar cookie dough was challenging! It certainly was quite the workout for my mixer, but it did well in the end. Rolling cookies in brown sugar is different, but you want to make sure to remove any extra brown sugar on the baking sheet, as that will burn. I used rum extract instead of rum in these cookies, but I think rum would have been better. I think the extract has a slight medicinal flavor, but it is subtle. The cookies are flavorful and the brown sugar coating provides a different texture for these cookies.

Hot Buttered Rum Cookies
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoons cinnamon
Zest of one orange
Additional brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon rum or rum extract

Make the sugar cookie dough: in a large mixer bowl, combine the powdered sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla on medium, beating until combined. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking soda, and Cream of Tartar, mixing until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Break up the chilled cookie dough into a large mixer bowl. Add the gingersnap crumbs, ginger, cinnamon, and orange zest to the bowl and mix until the ingredients are incorporated.

Shape the dough into balls and roll in the brown sugar, evenly coating the dough and making sure there is no excess brown sugar on the baking sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
    
Once the cookies are cool, make the glaze: in a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and rum/rum extract. Whisk until smooth, adding additional milk if the glaze is too thick. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and allow the glaze to set before serving.

Recipe from Pillsbury. Sugar Cookie recipe from The Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Eggnog Thumbprints

 One of the flavors I love this time of the year is eggnog. I selected a couple of eggnog recipes this year, this is the second one. What I often find strange with eggnog recipes is that they often don’t call for any eggnog! The first recipe I made had just a tablespoon of eggnog, and this one doesn’t call for any eggnog at all. Many recipes substitute with the flavors of eggnog: rum and nutmeg most specifically.

This cookie recipe is as simple as can be. I do wonder if the cookies need a little bit of leavening, as these cookies were fairly flat. They turned out ok, so I won’t worry about that too much. As these cookies are little more than a butter cookie, you could fill them with anything you’d like. The filling is where the eggnog flavors come into play, in this case containing rum (or rum extract) and freshly grated nutmeg.

The frosting for these thumbprints is a little different. I figured that I would give it a try, but after I had made the frosting with the original 2 cups of powdered sugar, it was way too soft! I added another cup of powdered sugar and that was about right, so you’ll need to adjust the powdered sugar to make sure that your frosting is the right consistency. I grate nutmeg fresh from the seed, which is such a fantastic flavor. While not containing any eggnog, I think these impart a great eggnog flavor, with the nutmeg acting as the shining star.

Eggnog Thumbprints
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, melted
2-3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons rum
Ground nutmeg

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and stir on medium to incorporate. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour and salt, mixing just until the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into 1 tablespoon balls. In the top of each cookie, with your thumb or other instruments, make an indentation.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden around the edges. If required, reform the indentation in the tops of the cookies. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the filling: in a mixer bowl beat the melted butter, powdered sugar, and rum on medium until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe the filling into the indentation in each cookie. Sprinkle with nutmeg to finish.

Recipe from White Lights on Wednesday

Cherry Rum Balls

 It’s not uncommon for me to make some sort of no-bake rum/bourbon balls, and I am frequently looking for new recipes to try. I came across this recipe a while ago, and it’s quite different from previous versions I have made. My go-to recipe uses gingersnap crumbs, and that is the predominant flavor. This version uses vanilla wafer cookies and is topped by a festive red candied cherry.

Since I am doing smaller batches this year, I had originally planned to make a half batch of these cookies. My husband asked if I could use the cranberry liqueur, as we had picked that up at a local distillery last year and we still had some available. I ended up making a full batch, but I divided it in two, adding rum to half of the mixture and cranberry liqueur to the other half. It doesn’t take any longer, but it sure did mess up more dishes!

Like other rum balls, these are best if you make them and the stick them in the refrigerator for a while for the flavors to come together. I’ve kept the two flavors separate, as the do taste a bit different. The strangest thing for me is that I almost never used candied fruit when baking. Occasionally I will use a little candied peel (which is common in British baking), but there was no way around the candied cherries in this recipe! They add a beautiful festive touch, and while the cookies could like without them, why would you want to do that?

Cherry Rum Balls
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup rum
¼ cup light corn syrup
3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
24 red candied cherries, halved

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum and corn syrup; set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir together the vanilla wafer crumbs, pecans, and ½ cup of powdered sugar. Drizzle with the chocolate mixture and stir well to combine all ingredients. 

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the remaining powdered sugar. Top each ball with a cherry half, pressing down to adhere. Store the balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the cookies to set for several days, allowing the flavors to develop.

Recipe from All Recipes

Butter Rum Brickle Cookies

I really need to do a better job of planning what I am going to bake. It seems like our grocery trips lately have been unplanned and at that last minute, so I haven’t been planning and stocking up on ingredients. That leaves me to search the cupboard for ingredients, hoping that I have the ingredients I need. I usually pin recipes that I am interested in baking, and in looking at the recipes I sometimes remember ingredients that I need to pick up. Sometimes not.

This recipe doesn’t call for unusual ingredients. I thought that I would have most of all the ingredients I needed. When I checked I had almost 8 ounces of toffee bits, and honestly I think that the amount of toffee bits was just right. I also didn’t have run extract, so I just used rum. I substituted 2 tablespoons of rum for the extract and I just used a small bit in the glaze.

These cookies are very simple and reminded me of Russian teacakes that are popular during the holidays. They are rich, so I made them small. You top the cookies with a browned butter frosting. Be careful when you’re browning butter, as it can burn very easily. I added more than 2 cups of powdered sugar, as the frosting seemed too runny. The frosting cools and thickens quickly, so I think adding the extra powdered sugar wasn’t a good idea. You can taste the rum, but it isn’t over the top, and the browned butter adds an extra flavor nuance.

Butter Rum Brickle Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons rum extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

8 ounces brickle toffee bits

1/3 cup butter, cubed

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

About 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, run extract, and salt. Beat on medium until smooth. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour. Stir in the toffee bits. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges of the cookies begin to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, continue heating until the butter turns golden brown, swirling the butter in the pan frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar and rum extract. Whisk in enough milk to reach spreading consistency. Spread on the cooled cookies.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Shortbread with Rum-soaked Currants and Orange

One of the most classic Christmas cookies is the Russian teacake. These are also called Mexican wedding cakes, nut snowballs, snowballs, or any other sort of name you can think of. I was watching a holiday baking show on the Food Network and the baker made a variation on the cookie using currants and orange. I thought that sounded great, and I went online to find a similar recipe and came up with this one.

While I don’t typically think of Russian teacakes as a shortbread cookie, they are as they contain no eggs and no leavening. We’re so accustomed to shortbread being a flat cookie that is shaped in a mold that we forget that they can be shaped in other ways too. I wasn’t sure if these would turn out as perfectly round as the traditional Russian teacake, but I figured they would be just as tasty either way.

The recipe does require a little preplanning, as you need to soak the currants in rum for a bit before making the cookies. You also chill the cookies for a short while before baking, to help them keep their shape. Other than the soaking and chilling time, the dough is easy to make, and a lot less crumbly than shortbread dough can be. They did keep their shape fairly well, so I was happy with that. The rum and currants in these are great holiday flavors, and the orange takes it over the top!

Shortbread with Rum-soaked Currants and Orange

3/4 cup currants

1/2 cup rum

1-1/2 cups butter, room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon orange zest

Powdered sugar

In a small bowl, combine the currents and rum. Allow to sit for 2 hours. Drain the currants.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar on medium until light.  With the mixer running on low, gradually beat in the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the drained currants and orange zest.

Shape the dough into 1” balls and place on the baking sheets. Chill the shaped cookies for 20 minutes before baking.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cookies a very lightly browned along the edges. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still warm.

Recipe from Thrifty Foods