FROM MY PANTRY – BRENDA’S SOUR CREAM FRUIT DROP COOKIES

I anxiously waited until I had a couple of hours of free time so I could bake my friends Brenda and Myrna’s special drop cookies. I knew that these dear sisters bake this cookie recipe every year for Christmas. I baked a batch (actually I baked a double batch) of them last Sunday afternoon. They are filled with cherries, dates, raisins and chopped nuts. Just perectly spiced with cinnamon and cloves and some grated orange rind. They are perfect for Christmas or just right now with a cup of tea or coffee. I froze a tinful and put some in my cookie jar on the kitchen counter for right now.

Thanks to Brenda and Myrna for sharing your recipe. Love you both! These are a perfect cookie to add to your Christmas baking list.

BRENDA AND MYRNA’S SOUR CREAM FRUIT DROP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of dairy sour cream
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla
• 2- 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. fine salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon (I heaped the tsp.)
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (I probably used a 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 cup of chopped dates
• 1 cup of chopped glace cherries
• 2 cups of golden raisins
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 tbsp. grated orange rind

METHOD:

-Cream the butter with the brown and white sugar until nice and fluffy.
-Add the eggs and beat well.
-Add the vanilla with the sour cream. Mix well.
-Sift or whisk the flour with the baking soda, salt and spices. Add this into the creamed mixture.
-Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut up the dates. Cut up the glace cherries.
-Add the chopped dates, cherries, raisins and chopped nuts and grated orange rind to the cookie dough. Mix well to combine.
-Chill the cookie dough for 1 hour. This will keep your cookies in mounds as they bake and not spread out to flatten.
-Have your oven set to 375 degrees F. and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them if you don’t have any parchment paper.
-Drop by rounded tablespoons(or use a handy cookie scoop to make this go faster), onto the cookie sheets 2″ apart.
-Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Lift the baked cookies with a metal spatula onto cooling racks.
-Once cooled, place in cookie tins or your cookie jar.
-This recipe makes nearly 5 dozen cookies. ENJOY!