These old-fashioned fruitcake cookies might just change a few minds about that one terrifying Christmas dessert. They're buttery, crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and packed with sticky candied fruit, dates, and crunchy pecans. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool, especially when you've already eaten enough cookie dough to qualify as a separate batch. Not that I'd know anything about that.
Table of Contents
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🥰 Is this fruitcake cookie recipe for you?
- You love old-fashioned Christmas cookies. The kind Grandma made before anybody decided cookies needed six kinds of imported chocolate and a social media manager.
- You like a cookie with some substance. Crispy edges, chewy centers, sticky candied fruit, and crunchy pecans. These little beauties aren't messing around.
- You want something you can make ahead. The dough can be prepared in advance, and the cookies freeze beautifully baked or unbaked.
- You have a fruitcake cookie skeptic in the family. These buttery, fruit-studded cookies might just make them eat their words. Preferably with a glass of milk.
🎥 Video
🧾 Ingredients
Nothing fancy here, just simple cookie ingredients and enough candied fruit and pecans to make you wonder if there's room for the dough. There is. Barely.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure and holds all that fruit and nut goodness together.
- Baking powder: Adds just enough lift without making the cookies cakey.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the buttery flavor.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, for rich, tender cookies with crispy edges.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps create that delicate, crispy crust.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, classic flavor without competing with the fruit.
- Egg: Binds everything together and helps keep the centers chewy.
- Candied pineapple and cherries: Look for the mixed container with red and green cherries and pineapple. It's usually cheaper than buying them separately.
- Dates: Add a rich, sticky sweetness and wonderful chewiness. Buy pitted, chopped dates to save time.
- Pecans: Give every bite a buttery crunch. Chop them coarsely so you get plenty of texture.
📖 Recipe
Fruitcake Cookies
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¾ cups mixed candied cherries and pineapple, chopped
- ¾ cup dates, pitted, chopped
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the baking sheets. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Don't preheat the oven yet since the dough needs chilling.
- Chop the fruit. Quarter the candied cherries and chop any large pieces of pineapple. If the dates are already chopped, separate any pieces sticking together. Toss the fruit and dates with 1 tablespoon of flour taken from the measured 1¾ cups.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.
- Add the Christmas goodies. Fold in the candied fruit, dates, and pecans with a sturdy spatula. The dough should be thick and chunky, with enough cookie dough to hold everything together.
- Chill the dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes. This helps limit spreading and makes the sticky dough easier to scoop.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Press any loose pieces of fruit or nuts gently into the dough mounds.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Start checking at 12 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden and the centers should look set, not wet. They will read 195℉ -200℉ on an instant read thermometer. The exact time may vary because of the high fruit content.
- Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- I found that the mix caused the green cherries to turn a weird color if you want to keep the jewel like tones (or can't find the mix) use ½ cup red candied cherries, ½ cup green candied cherries, and ¾ cup candied pineapple.
- Chop the fruit into small pieces. Quarter the candied cherries and cut larger pineapple pieces to about the same size. You want a little fruit in every bite, not one enormous cherry hogging the cookie.
- These ship very well and stay moist. Check out this post for more information on how to ship cookies.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
- 🍒 My fruitcake cookies didn't spread! They're not supposed to spread much. With all those fruits and pecans, these cookies stay thick, chunky, and a little rustic. Think Christmas cookies, not pancakes.
- 🍒 The candied fruit is sticking together. Toss the chopped fruit and dates with a tablespoon of flour taken from the measured amount before adding them to the dough. That'll help separate those sticky little troublemakers.
- 🍒 My cookies are dry or crumbly. They may have baked too long. Pull them when the edges are lightly golden, the centers are set, and the internal temperature is around 195°F to 200°F.
- 🍒 The cookies are falling apart. Let them rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them. They're loaded with fruit and nuts, and they need a minute to get themselves together. Don't we all?
- 🍒 The bottoms are getting too brown. Use a light-colored baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake on the center rack. Dark baking sheets can brown the bottoms faster than you'd expect.
🍽 More vintage Christmas cookie recipes
If you're making cookie trays or participating in a cookie exchange be sure to check out these 91 best Christmas cookies!
🏡 These old-fashioned fruitcake cookies were inspired by my mom's fruitcake recipe, which has been a Christmas favorite in our family for generations. Her fruitcake is packed with candied fruit, dates, and pecans, with just enough batter to hold everything together, and I wanted these cookies to have that same generous spirit. Only with more butter and crispy edges, because there's always room for improvement.
If you love these cookies, be sure to try her original fruitcake recipe, too. It's been winning over fruitcake skeptics for years, and with hundreds of five-star reviews, apparently Mom knew exactly what she was doing.
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