Super soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet, these fruitcake cookies are studded with nuts and dried fruit, and they’re so EASY to make!
Happy last week in November! The countdown to Christmas is HERE! And we all know what that means: the grocery store will play “All I Want for Christmas is You” seemingly nonstop until January.
It’s like Mariah Carey haunts every time I run out to pick up a pint of milk. (And by milk I mean ice cream.)
Because baking soothes my nerves like nothing else, I think some cookies are called for right about now. Delicious and super-chewy fruitcake cookies are the cure for what ails us this holiday season! I mean that literally–cranberries are packed with Vitamin C so these cookies are basically a cold preventive right? 😉
Why you’ll love these fruitcake cookies:
- They’re incredibly easy to make
- You can easily swap out the fruit/nuts listed in the recipe for your favorite mix-ins
- The dough freezes well so you can have cookies any time you want them!
How to Make Fruitcake Cookies
As with so many cookie recipes, we start these fruitcake cookies start with room temperature butter. Room temp butter is necessary to ensure your cookies mix properly and bake evenly. Leave cold butter out on your counter for about half an hour and you should be ready to go!
Combine your butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar (I used light brown but you can use dark brown if that’s what you have). Beat that mixture until it’s very light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, then add the flour. Mix the flour in just until it’s incorporated; over-mixing will result in a tough cookie.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, and candied cherries (or whatever fruit/nuts you choose to use).
Baker’s tip: reserve some of your mix-ins, then press them into the tops of your cookies after you form the dough into balls. This makes the cookies extra pretty, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
Chill the dough for at least an hour (or up to 2 days). This dough is very soft and chilling it is necessary in order to shape it into balls; the cookies also spread less when the dough is cold.
Once your dough has chilled, shape it into balls and arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheets. At this point, either bake your cookies until the edges are golden, or freeze the dough balls until solid, then pop them into freezer bags and leave frozen for up to 3 months. Bake them directly from the freezer.
Like I said above, you can use just about any nut or dried fruit that you want as long as you stick to the proportions listed in the recipe (2 3/4 cups). Dried pineapple would be AWESOME with the cranberries, as would dried apricots. You could also add some orange zest for a little change to the flavor profile.
Now tell me: what are you baking this holiday season? Cookies? Cakes? Pie after pie after pie? Let me know! Then bake yourself a batch of fruitcake cookies. You won’t be sorry!
More cookies recipes (in case you’re hungry)
Potato Chip Cookies
White Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints
Chocolate Mint Cookies
Did you make these fruitcake cookies? Hooray! Post a pic on Insta and tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your gorgeous creations!
These fruitcake cookies are EASY to make, super soft and chewy, and totally perfect for Christmas!
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup candied cherries coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer set to medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until well combined.
- Add the baking soda and salt and beat to combine. Add flour and beat on medium speed until just incorporated.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the cherries, pecans, raisins, and cranberries. (If you want, reserve a few of the mix-ins to press into the tops of the cookies just before you bake them.) Loosely cover. dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Form dough into balls of about 2 tablespoons of dough and arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.*
- Bake 9 to 12 minutes, until golden around the edges. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
* At this point you can freeze the dough (if you want), then transfer the dough balls to freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from the freezer, adding another minute or two to the baking time.
Dana says
LOL your posts always crack me up, I love it. It’s too bad Mariah Carey haunts you around at this time of year, I –fortunately–don’t hear that song often so I guess that’s probably a good thing haha. I love shopping or sitting at the coffee shop at this time of the year with all the Christmas music, it’s so fun (unless you start to feel haunted, that is). Hopefully the milk, er I mean ice cream, distracted you 😀
I”m not a big fruitcake fan but THESE cookies? YES PLEASE! I would happily eat the whole batch. They look so delicious and pretty too…and love that they’re so versatile. I would def love to add cranberries as I always have them in my fridge and love their festive colour , but love the pecans too. YUM
Oh and to answer your last question, it’s definitely pie after pie after pie!! HEEHEE But I love to change it up with cookies, brownies, cake….well, pretty much everything. Bring on the holiday baking. Yipeeee! 😀
Kelsie says
Well I’m going to move to your neck of the woods if stores don’t play Mariah Carey this time of year! And why am I not surprised that you’re baking pie after pie after pie? Haha! Thank you, Dana!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
What a pretty cookie. So perfect for the holidays! I think I’ll whip up a batch!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Abbe!
Marissa says
These cookies are such a great idea, Kelsie! I bet that even people who say they don’t like fruit cake would devour these.
Kelsie says
Thank you, Marissa!
Ashika I Gardening Foodie says
Kelsie, I just love how you turned a classic recipe like fruitcake into these beautiful cookies. They look really delicious and so easy to make during a crazy busy month.
Kelsie says
Thank you, Ashika!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
These look terrific! SO flavorful, and pretty easy to make. And a much more reasonable proposition than making an actual fruitcake. This way, you get the flavor without all the trouble. Thanks!
Kelsie says
Thank you, John!
mimi rippee says
I’m sorry, but what the hell are those green bits?!!! I can’t figure it out! The cookies are great. I used to make some similar, but looked more like balls than cookies, with tons of fruitcake-type candied fruit (ew) for my mother who might be the only living soul who still like fruitcake. I think I’d really like these. Although I’ll wait to see what the green things are…
Kelsie says
Hahaha! You crack me up, Mimi! They’re candied cherries. Don’t ask me why they come in green but the color is just too fun not to use 🙂
SHASHI AT SAVORYSPIN says
Kelsie, you know what, grocery stores and radio stations here started playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving! But I am not complaining as do love it – and, I might be a total oddball for saying this, but I do love fruitcake too so these fruitcake cookies have my name written all over them! 🙂
Kelsie says
Thank you, Shashi!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking says
I love these cookies Kelsie! They are so festive and pretty, and they look crispy and chewy, which is my favourite combination in a cookie! Bring on the Christmas countdown and all the holiday baking!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Leanne!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Lol! Cold preventative?! I’ll go with that! These look delicious Kelsie!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Mary Ann!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen says
I cannot say I have the same baking season every year. While I do bake some cookies, I also focus on something new. For instance, last year I focused on fudge (Technically, that doesn’t belong to baking category) more than cookies while these year I’m concentrating on savory baking rather than sweet produce. Anyway, those cookies are something unique! Needless to say, they’re delicious and festive. P.S. How many cookies does someone need to eat to meet the daily vitamin c requirement (I hope at least a dozen!)
Kelsie says
Oh I’d say a dozen minimum. Probably more like two or three dozen :). Thanks, Ben!
Laura says
I love this idea, Kelsie – I could use this recipe to show my suspicious fam that fruitcake flavors are indeed so so delicious and festive! I love it! These look so beautiful, and I appreciate your directions to refrigerate the dough (as tough as that is sometimes!). I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving! Pinning!
Kelsie says
Haha! Thanks, Laura!
Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
These are SO MUCH FUN!!!! Totally beats that old school fruit cake. I would definitely eat these up!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Kelly!
Mary Hannah Ellis says
North Carolina has an amazing fruitcake factory called Southern Supreme, and their fruitcake cookies are absolutely delicious. I’m so excited to bake these cookies instead of buying them! 🙂
Kelsie says
I hope they live up to the ones from Southern Supreme! Thank you!
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Is there anything better than a one-bowl cookie? Only one that tastes this good!! So fun!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Annie!
Milena says
Loving these cookies and in absolute agreement about dried cranberries:) I eat so many of them this time of year and adding them to cookies sounds great to me. Saving this recipe for next weekend!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Milena!
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage says
These cookies are so perfect for the holidays! The fruit looks like little jewels. Yes, I think Mariah Carey bought radio rights at every major store lol. Take care.
Kelsie says
Haha! Thanks, Stacey!
Kim Lange says
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Kelsie! These cookies are sure to put me in the mood for the holidays with the bright colors and who can resist cookies!!? I’d love a batch right now! 🙂
Kelsie says
Thank you, Kim!
David @ Spiced says
Every time I hear “All I Want for Christmas” I think about that scene from Love Actually. Great movie! I keep saying I’m going to watch it again every holiday season, but I don’t think I’ve actually seen it in years. This year, though. This year! And I’m thinking a batch of these cookies will be a great addition while watching favorite Christmas movies. And maybe some ice cream, too…because I’m a glutton for punishment and I like going to the grocery store during the holidays. Hah! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Kelsie. Love these cookies…so creative!
Kelsie says
I love that movie! Somehow I’ve blocked out that scene though, haha :). Thanks David!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Totally with ya there…if they are packed with vitamin c, then they must be good for ya 😉 What a fun idea to turn the flavours of fruitcake into a cookie. These would go over so well on our home! Happy Monday, Kelsie!
Kelsie says
Haha! Thank you, Dawn!