Sweet Potato Drops

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Sweet Potato Drops
Add these delicious Sweet Potato Drop cookies to your Thanksgiving dessert table along with the pumpkin and pecan pies. Everything about these cookies tastes of the holidays; from the sweet potatoes, raisins, spices, pecans, to the bourbon. The bourbon glaze drizzled over the top also saturates into the cookies, giving them a potent bourbon kick.
Recipe type: Dessert | Drop Cookies | Glazed Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Parchment Lined or Lightly Greased Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 4 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Dough:
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 1 or 2 medium)
  • ⅓ cup dark raisins
  • ⅓ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup bourbon
  • 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¾ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
Bourbon Glaze:
  • 1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets; lightly grease with shortening, or line with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.
Dough:
  1. Bake the sweet potato until fork tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Cut potato in half and scoop out the insides. Mash with a fork. You should have about 1 cup. Set aside to cool.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dark raisins, golden raisins, and bourbon. Set aside to soak.
  3. Drain the pineapple in a colander, pressing out the excess liquid with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans; whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  5. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; cream together until mixture appears light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add egg; beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes and pineapple. Stir in the raisins and bourbon. Add flour mixture; stir until mixed.
  6. Bake: Using 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, drop dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. With the back of a spoon, flatten each cookie to a 2½ inch circle. Bake 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch and the edges are golden brown. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.
Bourbon Glaze:
  1. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and bourbon; stir until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies.
Adapted From: Bluestein, Barry and Kevin Morrissey, The Complete Cookie, Doubleday, New York, 1996

Fruit ‘N’ Nut Cookies

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Fruit 'N' Nut Cookies
With a combination of pineapple, nuts, cherries, dates, and coconut, these cookies are colorful and full of fruit and nuts. They are a perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray.
Recipe type: Dessert | Refrigerator Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Ungreased or Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 375° Yield: 7 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips, Toasting Nuts and Seeds

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Dough:
  • ½ cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup vegetable shortening
  • 1¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
  • ½ cup red maraschino or candied cherries, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup green maraschino or candied cherries, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • ½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Dough:
  1. Chop the dates; sprinkle the coarsely chopped dates with 1 teaspoon flour to keep the dates from sticking together. Set aside. Tip: Since the dates get very sticky when chopping, sprinkle with the 1 teaspoon of flour before chopping to help cut down on the stickiness.
  2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, shortening, and brown sugar; beat together until mixture is smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add 4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; stir until mixed. Add pineapple, dates, cherries, coconut and nuts; stir to mix.
  3. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Shape each piece into a 10 inch roll. Wrap each roll in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, lined with parchment paper, or lined with a non-stick baking mat.
  5. Slice dough into ¼ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Return remaining dough to refrigerator until ready to use. Tip: My favorite tool to cut refrigerator cookies is a stainless steel dough scraper; simply push the dough scraper straight down into the cookie for straight cuts. Or use a small kitchen knife to slice the cookies.
  6. Bake: Bake 12 minutes or until cookies are set and the edges are just barely browned. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet one minute. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars Fall 2007