Easy and Festive Holiday Fruitcake Cookies
An easy drop cookie recipe, these fruitcake cookies are a delicious and festive treat perfect for holiday get-togethers or cookie tins!
There are certain flavors that are just associated with the holidays: eggnog, mulled cider, pumpkin, and cranberry come to mind.
Oh, and fruitcake.
But honestly, making fruitcakes is a pain. Do you like fruitcake but hate to make it too? These cookies will give you that fruitcake fix without the hassle.
Grab our FREE Christmas Cookies mini recipe book!
This fruitcake cookie recipe is alcohol-free – there’s no bourbon or rum in these cookies so kids of ALL ages can enjoy them.
And it’s bursting with fruity flavors, thanks to the red and green cherries, orange and lemon peels, and pineapple.
Seriously, these are sooooooo yummy. They turn out with lightly browned edges and chewy yet light and fluffy interiors.
Make them ahead of time to let the flavors really develop and get better with time.
More Delicious Holiday Recipes
If you love these fruitcake cookies, make sure to serve them with a delicious mug of Homemade Non-Alcoholic Eggnog or Hot Mulled Cider!
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Fruitcake Cookies for the Holidays
I love holiday cookies. There’s just something about the holidays that screams “cookies!” to me, and these are the perfect blend of holiday flavors – and colors!
Full of candied fruit, these homemade fruitcake cookies are bursting with color, flavor, and scrumptious texture. They may borrow the telltale ingredients of a traditional fruitcake, but these cookies are way better!
These easy Fruitcake Cookies will make a gorgeous, festive addition to your holiday dessert selection. Plus, simple ingredients along with easy preparation will make you want to bake these cookies again and again – all season long.
Just like my homemade eggnog, I do not include any alcohol in order to keep them kid-friendly, but you can certainly add a tablespoon of bourbon, whiskey, rum, or sherry to the dough if that’s your preference.
Related Post: The Importance and Joy of Family Holiday Traditions
Grab our FREE Christmas Cookies mini recipe book!
Fruitcake Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients in this recipe and the part they play in making the best ever fruitcake cookies.
- All-purpose flour – the base of this recipe
- Butter, room temperature – adds the moisture, flavor, and color
- Brown sugar – sweetens and adds that delicious caramel flavor
- Sugar – sweetens the cookies
- Egg – binds all the ingredients together
- Vanilla extract & salt – flavor enhancers
- Baking soda – makes the cookie dough rise
- Cinnamon & nutmeg – spices to add flavor
- Chopped Fruitcake mix (includes orange and lemon peels, green and red cherries, and pineapple) – puts the “fruit” in fruitcake!
How to Make Fruitcake Cookies
The cooking queens Trisha Yearwood and Paula Deen may have their own versions, but once you try these, you’ll know that this recipe truly makes the BEST ever fruitcake cookies.
Drop cookies are very easy to make since you don’t have to chill the dough or mess with cookie cutters! They’re quick, easy, and very kid-friendly – my kind of cookie recipe!
Just follow these instructions, and in about 45 minutes, you can be scarfing down enjoying these delicious morsels.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- 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 mixed, add in the flour and spice mixture, egg, and vanilla together.
- Then fold in the fruitcake mix.
- 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.
- Enjoy them with hot cocoa, egg nog, or all by themselves!
Fruitcake Cookies Variations
Sometimes you just need to change things up, right? Try these fun variations!
- Love nuts? To make them with, simply add 1/4 cup of pecans and/or walnuts.
- To make fruitcake cookies with alcohol, add 1-2 tablespoons of your chosen alcohol to the dough when you add the vanilla, egg, flour, and spices.
Tip: You’ll need a combination of red and green candied cherries, candied pineapple, and candied lemon and orange peels. You can purchase them in individual containers, or you can buy a mix.
Helpful Tools for this Recipe
I highly recommend having these tools to help make baking these cookies even easier than it already is 😉
- Baking Sheets
- Baking Mats – I thought these were a gimmick for the longest time – until I tried them. They make clean up SO easy!
- Small Cookie Scoop
- Cooling Racks
- Measuring Cup and Measuring Spoon Set
- Holiday Cookie Jar – cookie jars are the best part of eating cookies – well, second-best part!
- Holiday Tins – I LOVE making cookies and giving them to friends and neighbors for the holidays. I always use cute tins like these!
- Holiday Press ‘n Seal Wrap – keeps those goodies fresh!
Fruitcake Cookies Recipe FAQs
Do you have questions? I’ve got answers! Here are the most common questions – and their answers for this recipe.
How to Store Fruitcake Cookies
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes until they’re at room temperature, and then store them in an airtight container.
Can These Fruitcake Cookies Be Frozen?
Yes! Store them in an airtight freezer container so the cookies will stay fresh. They will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Bonus, by freezing the cookies, you can make them when it’s convenient for you and have them at the ready for gift-giving or any other occasion.
Goodies this good need to be added to your holiday baking list pronto! I hope you’ll love these fruitcake cookies as much as we do. If you make them and like them, please let us know in the comments!
More Holiday Help From Made in a Pinch
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Homemade Fruitcake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups flour
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), room temperature)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1½ cups chopped 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.
- Enjoy them with hot cocoa, egg nog, or all by themselves!
Just made these tonight for my husband who loves fruitcake. They are a hit!
Hey Amy! I’m SO happy to hear that! Happy Holidays!
how yummy!! love the holiday season and all the baking.
These look like wonderful Christmas cookies.
I love enjoying some cookies at evening with tea. You have shared such an easy and tasty recipe, I’m so excited to try it.
These look super fun and yummy!
What a great idea for a cookie! I love fruitcake and it would be perfect to have a cookie version.
Definitely had to pin this one! Never heard of them before and I am one of the weirdos that loves fruit cake! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m not a huge fan of fruitcake, but I love cookies! These look tasty!
This is amazing. Thanks for offering us Holiday specials!
Yummy! I love holiday cookies. I’m going to be trying these out.