If you love the combination of fruit and nuts but you’re not ready to invest your time in a cake, these cookies will be perfect for you. They’re simple and loaded with texture and flavor!
Fruitcake. . .in Cookie Form?
Yes! The idea hit me a few days back. I was staring at some dried fruit in my pantry that needed to be used or tossed. I thought, “What can I do with all of this stuff?”
And that’s when it hit me! Chop it up, mix it together, and add it to cookies.
I was fortunate to have dried fruit (as opposed to candied, which is stickier). This was absolutely perfect for baking. Here’s what I had on hand:
- Craisins: Dried cranberries, sweetened to balance their natural tartness, giving them a sweet and tangy flavor. They’re similar to raisins but made from cranberries rather than grapes.
- Dates: the sweet, chewy fruits of the date palm tree.
- Dried mangoes: Slices of mango fruit that have been dehydrated to remove most of their moisture, which brings out their natural sweetness and flavor.
- Dried Apricots: Apricot fruits that have been dehydrated, giving them a chewy texture and a concentrated, tangy-sweet flavor
You can use other fruits that you enjoy. Suggestions would include:
- Dried cherries: Perfect for Christmas cookies!
- Apples: Dried apples would be terrific.
- Plums: Loaded with sweetness, these would be great!
I also had a bunch of pecans, which I knew would be perfect in these cookies. You might choose walnuts, macadamia nuts, or even chopped almonds.
No matter what you use, you’ll find this to be a versatile recipe.
Fruitcake Cookie Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick look at what you’ll need.
- 2 sticks (1 cup) room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract (or 2 tablespoons orange zest)
- 2 cups chopped dried fruit (I used dried mango, apricots, Craisins, and dates)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (or other nuts of your choice)
How to Make Fruitcake Cookies
These come together so easily!
Chop fruit and nuts and set aside.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the room temperature butter.
Add extracts and sugars and keep creaming.
Now work in the eggs, one at a time.
Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing only until it comes together.
Add the fruit and nuts. Gently mix.
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scoop dough onto parchment lined baking sheet.
Gently press down with palm.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden.
Remove and place on wire rack to cool.
About ten minutes later, transfer cookies directly to the rack to continue cooling.
Serve and enjoy!
Store in airtight container at room temperature. These will stay good up to 4-5 days. If you like, you can freeze the dough for later use.
What to Expect from these Cookies
These are so easy and delicious, y’all! They’re the right amount of chewy and fluffy, and those chopped bits of fruit? Perfection!
I think these would be really yummy during the holiday season, so bake them in place of fruitcake, if you like! (Or bake them alongside my fruitcake recipe.)
No matter when you serve them you’ll be glad you did!
That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
Other Christmas Favorites
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Fruitcake Cookies
If you love the combination of fruit and nuts but you’re not ready to invest your time in a cake, these cookies will be perfect for you. They’re simple and loaded with texture and flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract (or 2 tablespoons orange zest)
- 2 cups chopped dried fruit (I used dried mango, apricots, Craisins, and dates)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (or other nuts of your choice)
Instructions
- Chop fruit and nuts and set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- Cream the room temperature butter.
- Add extracts and sugars and keep creaming.
- Now work in the eggs, one at a time.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing only until it comes together.
- Add the fruit and nuts. Gently mix.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Scoop dough onto parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden.
- Remove and place on wire rack to cool.
- About ten minutes later, transfer cookies directly to the rack to continue cooling.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store in airtight container at room temperature. These will stay good up to 4-5 days. If you like, you can freeze the dough for later use.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 108mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 3g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
Janetta
Friday 15th of November 2024
I love fruitcake, so I'm excited to try these cookies. Tis the season...?