You won’t want to give away these fruitcake cookies this Christmas! This easy recipe full of candied fruit is sure to be a hit with your family and friends during the holidays, and has a unique fruity flavor you won’t want to miss.
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Fruitcake Cookie?
These fruitcake cookies are a game changer. It’s no secret that fruitcake doesn’t have the most forgiving reputation. Throughout the years, it’s been notorious for its dry taste, chewy candied fruits, and somewhat suspicious longevity.
However, fruitcake deserves a second chance, and it can find redemption in these cookies, which are sweet and tangy- and much more useful as a dessert than as a doorstopper! Bring them to a cookie exchange to delight any fruitcake fan.
Why This Candied Fruit Recipe is a Keeper
- 10 Minute Prep: This cookie dough comes together very quickly it is the best ever dried fruit cookie.
- Easy Ingredients: Recipe uses all the ingredients can be found in your pantry or fridge for a traditional fruitcake.
- Family Friendly: Your family is sure to love these chewy cookies.
- Adaptable: You can make this recipe with a variety of candied fruits and other additions as you would for good fruitcake. You can’t wait to make this recipe. These are some of the easiest cookies I’ve ever made.
If you’re looking for more Christmas cookie recipes, try these Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies, Almond Crescent Cookies, and Swirled Cookies.
What is the Fruitcake Christmas Tradition?
While fruitcake itself dates back to ancient Rome, the tradition of eating fruitcakes ceremonially dates back to 18th-century Europe, where people would bake a fruitcake and eat it a year later to ensure a good harvest.
The Victorians also loved fruitcake, and would put it under their pillows to dream of the person they’d marry.
Today, fruitcake is most associated with Christmas. Some people have a tradition of giving the same fruitcake to each other over the years- although a woman named Julie Ruttinger has kept the same one in her family since 1878! About two million fruitcakes are sold every year, proving that there really is an audience for everything.
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Ingredient Notes for this Christmas Fruitcake Recipe
This recipe calls for simple ingredients that are so much lovelier than a traditional cake. If your guest doesn’t like fruitcake, they will love these cookies.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter for the cookies. Room temperature ingredients make this fruitcake cookie recipe easy to blend.
- Brown Sugar: Make sure that the sugar is packed into the measuring cup.
- Egg: Use a large egg at room temperature.
- Fruitcake mix: Includes orange and lemon peels (adds vitamin C), green and red candied cherries, and pineapple.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Making these Cookies
Looking to mix up your holiday fruitcake cookies? Try these tips:
- Sugar Substitute – Use a one-for-one switch for the brown sugar and the white sugar.
- Candied Fruit – Use any fruit that you like best, or use dried fruit instead.
- Homemade Mix: Use your own fruitcake mix instead of a homemade one.
How to Make Fruitcake Cookies
These fruitcake cookies are fun and easy to make, and will please even the most skeptical Christmas guests! Merry Christmas starts with these easy drop cookies. If you love fruit cake you will be glad you found this recipe. They taste good and look so festive.
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These are the basic steps for making fruitcake cookies. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions. We love reader interactions, please tell us your thoughts.
Step 1: Prep and Flour Mixture
Preheat the oven and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or with a hand electric mixer, mix together the butter and brown sugar, white sugar at medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: add the flour, salt baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 2: Blend with Electric Mixer on Medium Speed the Mixed Candied Batter and Place onto Cookie Sheet
Once the sugar is incorporated, add the egg and vanilla together with , spice mixtures, flour with mixer on low speed. Next, fold in the fruit cake mix. Then, using a cookie scoop, place the cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet about an inch from each other.
Step 3: Bake these Best Cookies
Next, bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Once the time is done, allow the cookies to cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Recipe FAQs from Reader Interactions
Expert Tips for Making This Recipe for Fruitcake Lovers
- Add Nuts: Stir in pecans, walnuts or almonds to these best fruitcake cookies.
- Candied Fruitcake Mix: You can often find it in the baking aisle of the grocery store for this holiday dessert. Traditional red and green cherries for holiday baking.
- Liquor: Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of flavoring such as brandy, rum, or whiskey. Or try rum extract for this delicious recipe.
- Alternate ingredient: Add white chocolate chips for even more goodness, like a traditional chocolate chip cookie but better. Or other ingredients for your fruit mixture like raisins are great.
- Drizzle: Drizzle with a glaze or melted chocolate to enhance your cookie platter.
- Storage: These cookies last about a week and cookies will keep fresh if stored in an airtight container. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with Fruitcake Cookies
Fruitcake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups Flour
- ½ cup Butter, 1 stick, room temperature)
- ½ cup Light brown sugar
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 egg Egg
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups Fruitcake mix, includes orange and lemon peels, green and red cherries, and pineapple.
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg,
- In a larger bowl, first mix together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter using a mixer. Once those are well incorporated, add in the flour and spice mixture, egg, and vanilla together.
- Once incorporated, fold in the fruitcake mix.
- With the oven pre-heated at 350 degrees, drop each cookie into about 1-inch balls using a small cookie scooper on a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Once the time is done, allow the cookies to cool a tad before transferring to a cooling rack
Expert Tips
- Add Nuts: Stir in pecans, walnuts or almonds.
- Candied Fruit: Where do you find it.? Usually in the baking aisle of the grocery store but are sometimes in the produce section of the store.
- Liquor: Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of flavoring such as brandy, rum or whiskey.
- Alternate ingredient: Add white chocolate chips to add even more goodness.
- Drizzle: Drizzle with a glaze or melted chocolate.