Best Fruit Nut Treats Recipes

MIXED FRUIT-AND-NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugars, and mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time until combined; mix in vanilla.
• Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in coconut, apricots, dates, macadamias, and pistachios.
• Drop batter, 2 heaping tablespoons at a time, onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; transfer cookies on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely.

FRUIT-NUT TREATS

Steps:

• Make Rice Krispies Treats as the label directs, adding 1/4 cup sesame seeds and 1/2 cup each dried fruit and sunflower seeds with the cereal.

FRUIT 'N' NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter, shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Shape into three 10-in. rolls; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours., Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap dough and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS

Steps:

• Combine nuts and fruit.

FESTIVE FRUIT & NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C and lightly grease and line the base and sides of a deep 22-23cm round loose-based cake tin with Bake-o-Glide or baking parchment (see overleaf). Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds and spices until thoroughly mixed and creamy, preferably with an electric beater or in a food mixer.
• Measure off 100g/4oz of the cake mixture, put in a bowl and set aside. Fold the fruit and rum into the remaining mixture, then gently stir in the marzipan. Spoon this mixture into the prepared cake tin and flatten with a spatula to make a smooth even surface, then make a slight dip in the centre of the cake. This simple trick will give the finished cake a nice flat top. Bake for 11⁄4 hours.
• While the cake is in the oven, make the fruit and nut topping. Mix all the nuts, cherries and syrup into the remaining cake mixture (see tip overleaf). Spoon the mixture on top of the part-cooked cake (once it has had its 11⁄4 hours), evenly distributing the mixture of nuts and cherries across the surface of the cake. Loosely cover the top of the tin with foil.
• Return to the oven for 40 minutes more, then take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, so the nuts can turn golden. Keep an eye on them, so they don't get too dark. To test the cake mixture is cooked, insert a fine skewer into the cake - if it comes out clean then it's ready. Cool in the tin then turn out, keeping the lining on, and wrap with foil. (The cake will keep for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To serve, remove the cake from the foil and strip away the lining. Place on a board or serving plate and tie with a decorative ribbon.

FRUIT & NUT CHOCOLATE CHEQUERS

Steps:

• Roughly chop the chocolate on chopping boards with a large sharp knife - chopping rather than breaking it into squares will help it to melt nice and quickly. Get someone to help if necessary. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
• Put 2 heatproof mixing bowls over pans half-filled with water - make sure that the base of the bowls doesn't touch the water. Add the chocolate, then leave to melt over a gentle heat. Once it starts to melt round the edges of the bowl, stir gently just once or twice, then leave to melt again. Remove from the heat.
• Take care, as the bowls will be hot. Using a teaspoon, spoon the melted chocolates onto the paper in round shapes as evenly sized as possible - you need 16 of each type of chocolate. Leave a teaspoon of the white chocolate in the basin for later.
• To decorate the white chocolates, chop the raspberry flakes, then scatter on half the rounds and top with 2 almond halves. Put a pecan on the rest, then swirl over a little of the chocolate left in the bowl. Sprinkle with cocoa.
• To make the dark chocolates, scatter half the rounds with the candied peel and the other half with the chopped cranberries and sugared cashews. Or try a combination of them all.
• Leave the chocolates to set and harden for about 3 hours (the dark chocolate will set before the white), then pack carefully into a box. They will keep for a week.

MIXED FRUIT AND NUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degree. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugars, and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined; beat in vanilla.
• Add the flour mixture all at once, and beat on low speed until combined. Add coconut, apricots, cherries, almonds, and pistachios; beat until combined.
• Drop batter 2 heaping tablespoons at a time onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove from oven, and transfer cookies on parchment-paper lining to a wire rack to cool completely.

CRUNCHY FRUIT & NUT CEREAL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Scatter porridge oats and nuts on a baking sheet. Cook for 8-10 mins or until lightly golden.
• Remove and cool, then mix with fruit and cereal. Serve with skimmed milk or fat-free yogurt.

FRUIT & NUT YOGURT

Steps:

• Mix the nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Mix the sliced banana and berries. Layer up in a bowl with yoghurt and enjoy.