Bake

Fruitcake Cookies

by:
November 29, 2021
5
1 Ratings
Fruitcake Cookies
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist: Alya Hameedi. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 45 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • makes About 28 medium cookies
Author Notes

The classic fruitcake is a holiday staple that originated in Great Britain. The cake is typically dense in texture and packed with dried fruit and is sometimes soaked in brandy, depending on the specific baker and family tradition. I took the most important elements, dried fruit and spices, to turn this celebrated treat into cookie form. You have the option to mix and match the dried fruit for this recipe based on what you like and what's available. Simply finely chop the fruit with a very sharp knife, or process everything in a food processor for ease. For added texture, you can leave a handful of the fruit roughly chopped with a few big bits throughout the cookies. The dark brown sugar gives the cookies added moisture and also darkens the color, to look more like fruitcake. The spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves rounds out the sweetness from the fruit for a warm and earthy bite.

Note: The cookie dough keeps well in the freezer for up to 2 months. —Briana Riddock

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups finely chopped dried fruit (a combination of your choice of: raisins, golden raisins, cherries, figs, apricots, dates)
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
  2. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream the butter until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the sugars, and cream together. Mix until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then add the dried fruit.
  3. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment. Scoop the cookie dough with a medium cookie scoop, about 2 tablespoons in volume, and place on the sheet pans about 2 inches apart (about 12 cookies per pan). Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
  4. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Halfway through baking, if the cookies have not flattened out, give them a gentle pat with your fingers.
  5. Bake in batches or reserve the extra cookie dough for later. The dough, scooped and frozen, keeps well for up to 2 months. To bake frozen dough, don’t bother to thaw it first—just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
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4 Reviews

AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames December 16, 2024
These are good, but made much better with a brandy-laced glaze, inspired by the figgy pudding butter cookie recipe here on Food52 (see https://food52.com/recipes/2275-figgy-pudding-butter-cookies) to which I added some lemon juice to brighten it up a bit.

I used equal parts of chopped walnuts, dried cherries, diced yellow figs, and diced apricots. ;o)
 
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Nancy M.
Nancy M. December 15, 2022
Very good. I used golden raisins, dates, apricots and prunes because that's what I had. I think next time I will skip the dates and add dried cherries to make them a little less sweet.
 
lisa G.
lisa G. December 15, 2021
Wow. These are unexpectedly more-ish and spectacularly delicious! I mixed dates, figs and citrus...used a tablespoon sized ice cream scoop and baked them for 13 minutes. Didn't flatten them and they had a chewy center and crispy shell. The result is a blissful nod to the warm hug of a British fruitcake. Keeper. Strong work!