Fruit Chews Recipes

CHERRY CHEWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, oats, 1 cup brown sugar, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rub in the 1/2 cup of butter until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and cool. Make the filling while the crust is baking. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, almond extract, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until smooth. Stir in the coconut, cherries and pecans. Spread over the pre-baked crust.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Let cool before icing.
• To make the icing, mix together the remaining 6 tablespoons butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the reserved cherry juice until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled bars before cutting into squares.

HOMEMADE CHEWY FRUIT SNACKS RECIPE

Steps:

• Put fruit puree and lemon juice into small saucepan and cook to just bubbling. Slowly whisk in gelatin, little by little, to avoid clumps.
• When your mixture is mixed well, pour into silicone candy molds or into a parchment-lined 8x8-inch baking dish.
• Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or allow to sit at room temperature overnight. (Popping the snacks out of the molds works better if refrigerated first.) If using a pan, cut into 1 cm cubes to serve. Store in an air tight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
• My molds (see in photo above) yielded 45 snacks exactly for each fruit used.

SWEET-TART LEMON CHEWS CANDY

Steps:

• Prepare a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan by lining it with foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the butter, corn syrup, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the butter and sugar dissolve, then wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert a candy thermometer .
• Cook the candy, stirring occasionally until the thermometer reads 245 F (118 C). It's very important not to overcook this candy, as even slight overcooking can cause it to harden and lose its wonderfully chewy texture.​
• As soon as it reaches the proper temperature, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon extract, citric acid, and yellow food coloring. Stir until the ingredients are well dispersed, then pour the candy into the prepared pan.
• Allow the candy to set at room temperature until it cools and sets completely at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Once set, remove the candy from the pan using the foil as handles and flip it upside down on a cutting board. Carefully peel the foil off the back. Use an oiled chef's knife to cut the candy into small 1-inch squares to serve.
• Because Lemon Chews are soft and chewy, they will gradually lose their shape if left alone at room temperature. We recommend wrapping them in waxed paper to make them easy to save and handle. Individually wrapped Lemon Chews can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

CHEWY FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray one cookie sheet with spray oil or line with parchment paper.
• In a medium sized bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly.
• Add the flour mixture to the sweetened butter. Mix only enough to incorporate flour. Do not over mix. Fold in the dried fruit
• Form cookies by dropping a heaping teaspoon of dough on the prepared cookie sheet two inches apart.
• Bake until light brown around the edges, about 12-15 minutes, depending on cookie size. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.