You guys, I'm not a fan of fruit cake. Let me just make than confession right now. I didn't grow up with it as a traditional holiday food in my family, and I just never developed a taste for it. These bites, though, are different. I promise. They're little morsels of sweet, fruity goodness. They're rich, chewy, and have just enough candied fruit flavor that it is there but not overpowering. The pecans and coconut help round out the flavors in these bites and give them a richness and depth. I love that they are cooked in a muffin tin, making them cute and portion controlled. If you love fruit cake, you'd love these bites, but even if you are on the fence or just plain don't like it (like me) these might win you over to buying some candied fruit every holiday season. 

Fruit Cake Bites

By Heat Oven To 350 Published 12/19/2013

Ingredients

• 2 cups Nilla wafer crumbs
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup mixed candied fruit* 
• 1/2 cup whole pecans
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

*Not going to lie, some of the candied fruit you can buy is downright gross. Make sure you get some you like the flavor of. If your candied fruit is fairly wet, you may need to add more wafer crumbs to make the dough into something that is thick, but still easily scoop able. 

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. Chop pecans into coarse pieces. Add to a large bowl with remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Spoon dough into prepared muffin tins until about 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the bites cool in pan about 15 minutes, and then run a knife around the edge of each bite to help loosen them from the pan. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 12-15 cookies
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min

Recipe Source: Heat Oven To 350

Posted in: Dessert