81 dried fruit recipes

Whole wheat apricot bread sweetened with maple syrup and laced with orange liqueur. Dried apricots and chopped pecans give every slice chewy fruit and satisfying crunch.

Oven-baked fruit compote of dried apricots, apples, peaches, and raisins slow-cooked with honey, fresh lemon, and orange slices. Serve warm or chilled as a naturally sweet dessert.

Holiday mincemeat with chopped beef, suet, apples, sour cherries, dried fruit, and broken nuts simmered slowly with brandy and warming spices. A massive 48-serving batch for Christmas baking and gift-giving.

Peanut butter and jelly muffins made with whole wheat flour, crunchy peanut butter cut into the dry mix, and a hidden spoonful of fruit preserves in the center of each one.

Tart de Brymlent is a medieval Lenten tart of salmon baked with spiced apples, pears, and dried fruits in a pastry shell. A genuine old English sweet-savory recipe for history buffs and adventurous cooks.

Unyeasted fruit and nut bread made with whole wheat, rye, and roasted barley flour, studded with raisins, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, and chopped nuts. Dense, hearty wild-fermented hippie loaf.

Old-fashioned Pennsylvania nut cookies with walnuts, raisins, and currants in a buttery cinnamon drop cookie dough. A heritage recipe with warm spice and chewy dried fruit in every bite.

Egg-free and dairy-free cookie dough made with soy yogurt, applesauce, and oats. Customize with chocolate chips, dried fruit, or nuts for a vegan cookie that's all your own.

Port wine soaked fig bread for the bread machine with dried figs plumped in port, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, and honey. A rustic, wine-infused loaf with jammy fruit in every slice.

Old-fashioned mince meat with calf tongue, suet, dried fruit, candied citrus, brandy and whiskey. The traditional pie filling, aged in a crock for at least 7 weeks for deep holiday flavor.

Sweet potatoes with a hint of orange: cooked sweet potatoes baked with cinnamon, dried apricots, and fresh orange slices. A lighter, fruit-sweetened holiday side with no marshmallows or piles of sugar.

Buttermilk pecan fruitcake made with dried pears and toasted pecans instead of the usual neon candied fruit. Buttermilk keeps the crumb tender, beaten egg whites give it lift. A gift-worthy Christmas loaf.

No-bake peanut butter treats with oats, powdered sugar, and your choice of raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, or peanuts. Mix, drop, and set. No oven needed.

Jezebel sauce is the Southern sweet-and-fiery condiment that stirs together fruit preserves, marmalade, dry mustard, and horseradish in 10 minutes flat. Pour it over cream cheese with crackers or serve it alongside baked ham.

Fermented mincemeat made with venison or beef tongue, suet, apples, dried fruit, red wine, cider, and brandy. A six-to-eight-week crock cure transforms the ingredients into the deep, boozy filling of old hunting cabin Christmas pies.

Bircher muesli was first developed by a Swiss physician, Maximilian Bircher-Benner as part of the therapy he prescribed for his patients. Often called simply ‘overnight oats’ Bircher muesli is an ideal breakfast food – it can be assembled the night before, left in the fridge overnight and enjoyed in the morning – there is no cooking required. It's also a perfect combination of plant-based protein, slow-release wholegrain carbohydrates, and essential fats. The version below calls for pears and coconut, but alternative combinations are provided in the notes.