These fruitcake cookies are soft, chewy, and incredibly tasty making them an irresistible addition to the holidays! With a tender cookie base and lots of chewy mixed fruit peel, candied cherries, and raisins scattered throughout, these cookies are a real treat. They make a fantastic addition to any cookie exchange or gift basket at Christmas time, too!
Christmas Fruitcake Cookies
If you love classic fruitcake, you will love these soft and chewy fruitcake cookies! If you don't love traditional fruitcake, you will be pleasantly surprised with the cookie version.
Fruitcake cookies are tender and loaded with sweet mixed peel and candied cherries. The base is actually the same as my Nestle toll house chocolate chip cookies, I just swapped the chocolate chips for fruitcake mix!
If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, be sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, cakes, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Ingredients For Fruitcake Cookies
You will need a handful of staple baking ingredients and some mixed peel (aka fruitcake mix) and candied cherries. You can find both in most grocery stores on the baking aisle!
- Butter - 1 cup of salted butter (or 2 sticks) softened at room temperature.
- Sugar - ¾ cup of granulated white sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar - ¾ cup of packed light brown sugar.
- Vanilla Extract - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. I recommend using pure vanilla for the best flavor.
- Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Salt - 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Eggs - 2 large room-temperature eggs.
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour.
- Mixed Peel - 2 cups of mixed peel fruitcake mix (see my recipe or use storebought).
- Candied Cherries - ½ cup of chopped red or green glace cherries (candied cherries).
- Raisins - ¼ cup of dried raisins (or currants).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Fruitcake Cookies
If you've ever made cookies, this recipe should be a breeze! You will need a baking sheet or 2, parchment paper, a stand mixer or hand mixer, a mixing bowl, and your measuring utensils.
One batch makes about 60 small cookies, though you can certainly make them larger if you like! Just be sure to leave a few inches of space for the cookies to spread as they bake.
- Preheat. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats for easy cleanup.
- Cream. Add 1 cup of room-temperature butter, ¾ cup of sugar, and ¾ cup of light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. Cream the ingredients together until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix again.
- Make dough. Mix in 2 large room-temperature eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth. Then, gradually add 2 ½ cups of flour, mixing until it has all been incorporated into the dough. Finally, fold in 2 cups of mixed peel, ½ cup of candied cherries, and ¼ raisins until well combined.
- Portion the dough. Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to portion out the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet(s). Leave 2 inches between each cookie to account for spreading.
- Bake and cool. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8-11 minutes, or just until the edges start turning golden-brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
It's hard to choose a favorite Christmas cookie, but these sure do come close to the top of the list. If you are a fan of candied fruit or fruitcake, be sure to check out my fruitcake bars! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can make these cookies your own by using different types of dried or candied fruits and nuts or even coconut. Chopped dates, apricots, walnuts, or pecans are some of my favorite additions!
- If desired, you may add 1-2 tablespoons of brandy, bourbon, whiskey, or sherry to your cookie dough before adding the eggs. The mixed peel will absorb some of the flavor and aroma of the alcohol, giving your cookies an extra level of flavor.
- If your cookies look soft and somewhat under-baked in the middle, that's fine. The cookies will continue to firm up some once they are removed from the oven. This will gift you a delightfully soft and chewy cookie
🥡 Storing
Keep your fruitcake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerated for 1 week.
Freezing Fruitcake Cookies
You may also freeze your cookies by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw them out at room temperature before eating and enjoy them within 3 months.
To freeze the unbaked dough, portion heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet and freeze it. Once frozen, you may transfer the mounds of dough to a freezer bag with a sheet of parchment paper between each layer. Bake as directed, but plan to add 10 minutes or so to the total time if starting with frozen dough.
Check out my post, how to freeze cookie dough, for more tips.
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❓ FAQ
Yes, these cookies will freeze wonderfully! Freeze baked cookies in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months and thaw them out at room temperature or in the fridge. You can also freeze the unbaked dough!
It can vary some, but many store-bought fruitcake mixes include currants, raisins, pineapple, dates, cranberries, and sugar. The mixed peel recipe that I like to use for these cookies is made with lemon peel, orange peel, sugar, and vanilla, then I add some candied cherries!
The most likely reason is that they were over-baked. These cookies have a short bake time of 8-11 minutes because they bake quickly. This is why it is best to remove your cookies from the oven when the center still looks slightly under-baked and just the edges of the cookie are golden-brown.
🍪 More Christmas Cookies
- Christmas M&M Oatmeal Cookies - Chew oatmeal cookies dotted with red & green M&Ms!
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies - Soft and fluffy cookies with festive holiday sprinkles.
- Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars - A soft sugar cookie base frosted with peppermint frosting and topped off with crushed candy canes!
- Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies - Fudgy chocolate and peppermint cookies coated in powdered sugar!
- Christmas Cowboy Cookies - These oatmeal cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, M&Ms, coconut, and peanuts!
- Polar Bear Paw Print Cookies - Dark chocolate cookies with vanilla frosting, coconut, and a cute mint patty paw print on top!
Fruitcake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (salted, 2 sticks - softened at room temperature)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups mixed peel (see my recipe or use store bought)
- ½ cup glace cherries (red and green candied cherries, quartered or chopped)
- ¼ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats for easy cleanup.
- Add the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. Cream the ingredients together until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt and mix again.1 cup butter, ¾ cup sugar, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Mix in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth. Then, gradually add the flour, mixing until it has all been incorporated into the dough. Finally, fold in the mixed peel, candied cherries, and raisins until well combined.2 large eggs, 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups mixed peel, ½ cup glace cherries, ¼ cup raisins
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to portion out the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet(s). Leave 2 inches between each cookie to account for spreading.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8-11 minutes, or just until the edges start turning golden-brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- You can make these cookies your own by using different types of dried or candied fruits and nuts or even coconut. Chopped dates, apricots, walnuts, or pecans are some of my favorite additions!
- If desired, you may add 1-2 tablespoons of brandy, bourbon, whiskey, or sherry to your cookie dough before adding the eggs. The mixed peel will absorb some of the flavor and aroma of the alcohol, giving your cookies an extra level of flavor.
- If your cookies look soft and somewhat under-baked in the middle, that's fine. The cookies will to continue to firm up some once they are removed from the oven as they will continue to cook on the baking sheet. This will give you a delightfully soft and chewy cookie!
- To store: Keep your fruitcake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerated for 1 week.
- To freeze: You may also freeze your cookies by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw them out at room temperature before eating and enjoy them within 3 months. To freeze the unbaked dough, portion heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet and freeze it. Once frozen, you may transfer the mounds of dough to a freezer bag with a sheet of parchment paper between each layer. Bake as directed, but plan to add 10 minutes or so to the total time if starting with frozen dough. Check out my post, how to freeze cookie dough, for more tips.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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