Glazed Fruitcake Truffle Bars

 Fruitcake, if done right, is always such a dense and chewy bread that even one slice can get pretty overwhelming. This recipe takes all of the great flavors of fruit cake and turns it into little bite size truffle, slathered with a bourbon glaze!

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1 bag chopped fruitcake mix (candied cherries, etc)

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon butter, melted

4 teaspoons bourbon or brandy (plus 2 tsp. bourbon for glaze)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, ground cloves and brown sugar together. Add in the walnuts, fruitcake mix, ginger, egg, butter and 4 tsp. bourbon and stir with a spatula until everything is combined well. Spread into your prepared pan and smooth out the top while pressing down.

Bake for 38-40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. It may still look or act gooey, but it is fully cooked and will firm up while cooling. Let cool in the pan for ten minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to continue cooling. 

When the fruitcake is fully cool, cut 1 inch strips in one direction as shown above. Then cut again in the opposite direction to make 1 inch cubes. Place in a candy paper baking cup or mini cupcake liner. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and 2 tsp. bourbon and stir. Slowly add the milk in until you have a pouring consistency yet still slightly firm. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the fruitcake truffles and decorate with edible glitter.