Fruitcake Cookies

5 from 16 votes

Chock full of candied red and green cherries, pineapple, dates, and nuts, these Fruitcake Cookies are a delightful addition to any Christmas cookie platter and a nod to traditions of old! We enjoy both the glazed and unglazed versions of these chewy, tasty treats!

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

Cookies

½ cup salted butter, softened
½ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped walnuts and/or pecans (we like ½ and ½)
1 cup candied cherries, sliced in half (we did a mix of red and green)
1 cup raisins
½ cup dried pineapple, chopped
½ cup dates, roughly chopped

Optional Glaze

¾ cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl for 1-2 minutes until creamy and light.
Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat again.
Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix just until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. The mixture will be very soft.
Add chopped nuts, candied cherries, raisins, pineapple, and dates. Stir just until the fruit and nuts are evenly dispersed throughout the cookie dough.
Use a small cookie scoop to drop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a couple inches apart.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and no longer glossy on top. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To glaze the cookies, whisk together powdered sugar and enough milk to create a thin glaze that drizzles off the whisk and melts in on itself immediately. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze, then return them to the wire rack to dry for 2-3 hours so the glaze can set up.

Notes

Optional: Add 1 Tablespoon bourbon, whisky, brandy, sherry, or rum along with the milk, if desired.
Substititions: If you don't like one or more of the fruits, feel free to leave them out and replace them with more of another type of fruit. Any mix of chopped, dried or candied fruit will work in this recipe. The candied cherries, dates, raisins, and pineapple are traditional for fruitcake, but dried apricots and mangoes would work just as well.
Storage: These cookies will keep well in an airtight container on the countertop for at least a week. The sugar in the candied fruit helps them last quite a while tasting fresh. If you glazed the cookies, I would recommend placing a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper between layers so the cookies don't stick.
Freezing: You can also freeze the cookies for 3 months. Just thaw on the counter for a couple hours before serving.

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