• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Side Dishes
  • Dinners
  • Desserts
  • About
    • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

Bake It With Love

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Side Dishes
  • Dinners
  • Desserts
  • About
    • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Join Us!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
      • Breakfast
      • Side Dishes
    • Dinners
    • Desserts
    • About
      • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
  • Join Us!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Cookies & Bars

    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com · 3 Comments

    Fruitcake Shortbread Squares

    Share This Recipe!

    • Share
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    • Print
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe
    tall pin with two images of the fruitcake shortbread squares with text divider.

    Rich and buttery Fruitcake Shortbread Squares are a festive combination of holiday fruitcake mixed peel and super soft shortbread! These addictively delicious dessert squares are incredibly easy to make and topped off with a tasty icing that everyone will love!

    small square closeup image of fruitcake shortbread squares after slicing.

    Fruitcake shortbread squares are incredibly easy to make and loaded with fun, festive holiday colors!

    Fruitcake Shortbread Squares Recipe {with Icing}

    I've always been a big fan of holiday fruit mixes, and these soft and buttery fruitcake squares are a delicious way to enjoy fruitcake mixes! They're fun and festive and incredibly easy to make!

    Plus, depending on who you may be sharing with, the icing can be subtly flavored with rum. Or be a little heavy-handed on the rum and make these truly boozy delicious!

    I like coconut flavoring in my icing, so have used both coconut extract and Malibu coconut rum. Yummy!!

    How To Make Fruitcake Shortbread Squares with Icing

    Shortbread in itself is super easy to make! It comes together in a crumbly dough that is easily pressed into a baking pan like this 8 x 8 I'm using.

    To get started gather your ingredients and a pan. You will need salted butter that has been softened at room temperature. I always use salted butter in my shortbread baking with fantastic results!

    Plus confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and fruitcake blend for the baked shortbread squares. I'm using the Old English Fruit Cake Blend ( mixed fruit peel ) from Paradise Fruit for these dessert bars.

    Make the Shortbread Dough

    1. Cream the softened butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.step 1 cream together butter confectioners sugar and vanilla extract.
    2. Add the all-purpose flour and mix until you have a crumbly shortbread dough.step 2 mix in the flour until you have a crumbly shortbread dough.
    3. Stir in the fruitcake blend until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough.step 3 add mixed peel or fruitcake blend to the shortbread dough.
    4. Transfer the dough to your 8 x 8 baking pan and spread evenly. Use your fingers to press it down evenly, but not packed too densely.fruitcake shortbread dough spread evenly in 8x8 baking pan.
    5. Cover and chill for an hour.

    Bake the Fruitcake Shortbread Squares

    1. Preheat your oven to 325ºF ( 163ºC ) and bake the chilled shortbread dough in the center of the middle oven rack for 40 minutes. The dough should be a light golden color and slightly puffy when done.baked fruitcake shortbread squares in pan.
    2. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack for 5 - 10 minutes before applying the icing.

    Make the Icing

    1. In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, and coconut extract until smooth. Adjust the consistency as needed with more heavy cream to thin it, or more confectioners' sugar to thicken the icing. step 5 mix the icing and spread on the fruitcake shortbread squares.
    2. Spread the icing over the slightly warm shortbread, then allow the iced fruitcake shortbread to cool completely before serving.

    If using rum to flavor the icing, use 1 tablespoon for a mild flavor or 2 tablespoons for a stronger rum flavor. Enjoy!

    tall image of four fruitcake shortbread squares stacked in front of the rest of the batch.

    Check out my other fruitcake shortbread cookies for more holiday fun!

    📋 Recipe

    large square closeup image of fruitcake shortbread squares after slicing.
    Print Recipe Leave A Comment
    Love This Recipe?Click On A Star To Rate It!
    4.93 from 13 reviews

    Fruitcake Shortbread Squares

    Rich and buttery Fruitcake Shortbread Squares are a festive combination of holiday fruitcake mixed peel and super soft shortbread! These addictively delicious dessert squares are incredibly easy to make and topped off with a tasty icing that everyone will love!
    Author | Angela
    Servings: 20 squares
    Calories: 196kcal
    Prep 10 minutes minutes
    Cooking 35 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

    Ingredients
     

    Fruitcake Shortbread Squares

    • 1 cup butter (I use salted butter in my shortbread recipes - softened, at room temperature)
    • ¾ cup confectioners sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup mixed peel (I'm using the Old English Fruit Cake Mix from Paradise Fruit)

    Easy Icing

    • 1 cup confectioners sugar
    • 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk or water)
    • 1 teaspoon coconut extract (or your favorite flavor)
    Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela

    Instructions

    Fruitcake Shortbread Squares

    • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
      step 1 cream together butter confectioners sugar and vanilla extract.
    • Add the all-purpose flour and mix into the creamed butter until you have a crumbly shortbread dough.
      step 2 mix in the flour until you have a crumbly shortbread dough.
    • Add the mixed peel or fruitcake blend to your shortbread dough and mix until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
      step 3 add mixed peel or fruitcake blend to the shortbread dough.
    • Transfer the fruitcake shortbread dough to an ungreased 8 x 8 baking pan. Press the dough into corners and until filling the pan in an even layer. Cover and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
      fruitcake shortbread dough spread evenly in 8x8 baking pan.
    • Bake the chilled dough at 325 degrees F ( 163 degrees C ) for 40 minutes. The dough should be a light golden color and puffed up slightly across the entire pan including the center when done.
      baked fruitcake shortbread squares in pan.
    • Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Allow the cookie bars to cool for 5-10 minutes before icing.

    Easy Icing

    • In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, and coconut extract until smooth. Spread over the top of the baked fruitcake shortbread squares in a thin layer. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
      step 5 mix the icing and spread on the fruitcake shortbread squares.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 196kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 26g (9%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 10g (15%) | Saturated Fat: 6g (38%) | Cholesterol: 25mg (8%) | Sodium: 89mg (4%) | Potassium: 20mg (1%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 16g (18%) | Vitamin A: 295IU (6%) | Calcium: 6mg (1%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!
    Fruitcake Shortbread Squares, shortbread cookies
    Course Christmas Cookies, Cookies & Bars Recipes, Dessert, Holiday Recipes
    Cuisine American
    author profile photo
    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com

    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!

    bakeitwithlove.com/about/
    « Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies
    Christmas M&M Cookies »

    Share This Recipe!

    • Share
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    • Print
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gwen Turner says

      December 22, 2022 at 7:01 pm

      5 stars
      These may be the best cookies I ever made! Can't wait to serve them to somebody.

      Reply
    2. Stephen R B Harris says

      December 19, 2021 at 4:35 pm

      4 stars
      After about 10 minutes I turned the warm pan over. The shortbread square broke in 2 pieces. Wish I had left it in the pan to ice. Also I made the icing too early. It was no longer soft for spreading. Did the best I could with it.

      Reply
      • Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says

        December 20, 2021 at 7:29 am

        Oh no! I'll clarify the instructions as I did indeed ice these in the pan. For easy removal of the slab, use a sheet of parchment paper under the shortbread squares that way you can lift them out once cooled. Also, to make any icing in advance, place a sheet of cling film directly on the icing surface to prevent it from drying out until you're ready to use it. Hope that helps for the next time!

        Reply

    Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    Author bio photo with cake.

    Hi there, I'm Angela! I'm an avid vintage cookbook collector, recipe creator, animal lover, and total foodie. I love sharing new, fun, and creative recipes as well as great classic recipes, just like my Grandma used to make! Every recipe on BIWL is tested to make sure that cooks of any experience level can be successful. Enjoy!

    More about me →

    Fall Favorites

    • Square image of sour cream blueberry pie.
      Sour Cream Blueberry Pie
    • Square image of ginger molasses cookies on a white plate.
      Ginger Molasses Cookies
    • Square slice of sweet potato coffee cake on a light background with several other squares nearby.
      Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
    • Square image of copycat creacker barrel fried apples.
      Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
    • Square image showing maple candied yams in a white baking dish.
      Maple Candied Yams
    • Square image of sweet potato pie.
      Sweet Potato Pie
    • Square image of butternut squash risotto.
      Butternut Squash Risotto
    • Square image of pumpkin fudge poke cake slice on a white plate.
      Pumpkin Fudge Poke Cake

    Halloween Treats

    • Square image of Halloween peanut butter spider cookies
      Halloween Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
    • Square image of Halloween brownies.
      Halloween Brownies
    • Square image of Reese's Pieces Halloween bars.
      Halloween Reese's Pieces Bars
    • Square image of Halloween puff pastry mummies.
      Halloween Baked Cheese Mummy
    • Square image of Halloween crescent roll witch hats.
      Halloween Crescent Roll Witches Hats
    • Square split image showing different Halloween cocktails.
      Halloween Cocktails
    • Square image of chocolate dirt cake cookies.
      Dirt Cake Cookies
    • Square image of Reese's pieces bar.
      Reese's Pieces Bars
    As Seen On block with logos from the companies Angela has worked with including Mashed, Vice Munchies, Lake Country Journal, Delish, Yummly, and more.

    DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no added cost to you.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Angela
    • Privacy Policy
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Home
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Subscribe
    • Oven Conversions

    Recipes

    • Dinners
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes
    • Breakfasts
    • Appetizers
    • Condiments
    • Air Fryer
    • Slow Cooker
    • Instant Pot

    Read

    • Collections
    • Baking Basics
    • Conversions
    • Food That Starts With
    • Substitutions
    • Freezing
    • Reheating
    • Food Info
    • Web Stories

    Copyright © 2023 Bake It With Love