Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to learn how to make our Fruitcake Cookies. You only need one mixing bowl. Printable recipe included.
Santa loves a good cookie you know. Be sure to share a few with him when he visits.
We’re just a few days away from Christmas at this point. Are you ready for it? I certainly hope so, and I hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy the holiday with all your family and friends.
Whether you have them coming to your house, or you plan to travel to theirs, here’s a great and simple cookie to help keep those smiles on their faces. Even if you claim you don’t like fruitcake, everyone loves a good cookie. Right?
I wanted to keep these as simple and easy as possible. So, you’re only going to need one bowl to mix everything in, and we’re going to mix it all up by hand, so you don’t even have to dirty up the beaters on your mixer. How cool is that?
Our fruitcake cookies are not overly sweet, which can be great after you’ve been filling up on chocolate for the past several days. They are soft in the middle, with a bit of a crispy-crunchy bottom edge that makes them that much better.
I made two batches, one with large cookies, and one with smaller cookies. Personally, I liked the larger cookies better, but that was just me. The big one’s would be great for a Christmas Bake Sale, while the smaller one’s would be perfect to pack into a tin to give as a homemade gift.
I love the vanilla flavor in these, and the pecans and candied fruit just all say C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S.
Let me know in the Comment section at the end of the recipe if you decide to try them. And, while we are at it, let me just wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS. Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season. Smile.
Ready to give our Fruitcake Cookies a try? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Taste of Southern Fruitcake Cookies – You’ll need these ingredients.
Butter and eggs should be at room temperature before you start mixing everything together.
You’ll need a large mixing bowl to make your dough. Start by adding the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and the light brown sugar to the bowl.
Add the baking soda.
Add the salt.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together. Watch for lumps, they’re probably lumps of brown sugar. Break them up as needed.
Add the chopped pecan pieces.
Add the fruitcake mix. This is usually available in grocery stores around the holidays. It’s the glazed fruit pieces but finely chopped. I added one cup, but the batter would easily hold two cups if you wanted more. Smile.
Grab a wooden spoon and toss everything together to fully coat the pecan pieces and the fruitcake mix.
Add the two sticks of butter.
Mix the butter into the flour mixture. I put on a latex glove for this part and mixed it all together by hand. Just squish and mash it between your fingers until the butter has been fully worked into the dough.
Add the lightly beaten eggs to the dough.
Then, add the vanilla flavoring.
Again, I used a latex glove and mixed the eggs and flavoring in by hand. It’s easier to just use your hands than to try and mix it with a spoon. The dough is pretty thick at this point.
Tear off a piece of plastic wrap and place it right down on top of the dough in the bowl. Press the wrap against the sides of the bowl to seal it in. And, don’t be like me, scrape down the bowl and be sure you have all the dough mixed in together. I’m not sure why I missed that part. Smile.
Place the covered dough in your refrigerator and let it chill for at least 30 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat like I’m using here. Scoop the dough out onto the baking sheet being sure you space them a couple of inches apart. I’m using a regular ice cream scoop for my first batch. It’s about a 2 inch scoop and makes a cookie that is about 4 inches in diameter. The dough will spread a lot once it gets in the oven, so leave as much space as you can.
I pressed a candied cherry into the tops of each cookie. This part is optional, but it makes it pretty.
Place the cookies in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350F degrees. I had mine on the middle rack in the oven. Let them bake from 8 to 10 minutes or until you see the bottom edges of the cookies beginning to brown. The top of the cookie should also be dry and lightly browned. Ovens vary, so keep a close eye on them and don’t let them burn.
When they are done, remove the pan from the oven and place on a folded towel to cool. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before you try to remove them from the pan. They need time to cool and firm up so you can handle them easily without fear of them breaking.
I made 12 of the larger cookies in the first batch.
I switched to a one inch scoop and made the second batch of cookies. As you can see, they spread out a good bit and the sides ended up touching. I should have only baked 15 at a time, but I was trying to get all of them in on the second batch.
The smaller scoop made 20 cookies.
Enjoy!
I thought the larger cookies were much better than the smaller ones. They were more chewy in the centers but still had a slightly crunchy bottom. Larger cookies would be good for a bake sale while the smaller one’s would be better suited for packing in a tin for gift giving. Try both ways and let me know which way you liked them best.
And, be sure to leave a few out for Santa on Christmas Eve. He loves a good fruitcake cookie you know. Smile.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
