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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

Stacey – December 9, 2021 – 35 Comments

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Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies on wire rack

Admittedly, fruitcake isn’t always at the top of everyone’s holiday baking list. And honestly, I think the stuff gets a bad rap. Is there bad fruitcake out there? You bet there is. But there’s some great fruitcake out there, too.

Despite all of the fruitcake hate, a recipe for fruitcake cookies is something that I get requests for pretty frequently. I’m not sure if it’s just the nostalgia of a fruitcake cookie that has people excited about them or maybe folks just love the taste, but I think I’ve had 10 or 12 requests in the last week.

Stack of Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

The thing about it is, I’ve never had a fruitcake cookie that I’ve liked. They all have just tasted so blah – nothing wrong with them, but nothing exciting either.

And despite the requests, I knew I didn’t want to put a recipe put there that I wasn’t 100% behind. I’ve tried a handful of different recipes, but was just never bowled over by any of them.

So, I knew we had to start from scratch.

Plate with Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

Nearly every fruitcake cookie recipe I found used shortening. And for good reason. Shortening has a higher melting point which means cookies spread less and bake up taller because it gives the eggs more time to set before it melts.

The problem with shortening is that is doesn’t add any flavor. So I swapped the shortening for butter.

Butter adds flavor. And while the cookies might spread a little more and be a little chewier, those are things I was willing to risk to add flavor.

Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies on wire rack

The other issue with fruitcake cookies is the actual fruit. A lot of the candied fruit in the grocery store is just not great. It’s been sitting on the shelf for a while and just doesn’t taste good.

So finding the right candied fruit is super important. Now this isn’t dried fruit. It’s candied fruit. Like this…

Some common brands you might find are Sunripe and Paradise. On several occasions, it’s been recommended that I buy the fruit from Nuts.com. They call it glazed fruit and apparently, it tastes much better. (If you’ve found some great candied fruit, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!)

Starting with better fruit is going to yield better cookies.

But even if you can only find the grocery store stuff, I’ve added in more flavor via vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts to give these cookies a punch.

Y’all enjoy!!

Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies on wire rack
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4.89 from 9 votes

Recipe Card

Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 dozen
Author Stacey Little | Southern Bite

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup diced candied pineapple
  • 1 cup diced candied red cherries
  • 1 cup diced candied green cherries
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F and line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon extract and mix well.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Fold in the candied fruit and pecans.
  • Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto the prepared cookie sheet about 3 to 4 inches apart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until just golden brown. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for a few days or in the refrigerator for longer. Cookies can be wrapped tightly and frozen for a few months.

Notes

If you find the cookies spread too much for your liking, a 30 minute rest in the fridge will help. Just keep the dough chilled until you scoop it out onto the cookie sheet. 
Old Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies on wire rack
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Stacey Little of Southern Bite

Hey, y’all! I’m Stacey…

Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us! Read more…

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  1. Leslie Lynn

    December 23, 2022 at 11:16 am

    I want to give 5 stars straight across but it would not these are so yummie I found your recipe last year family gobbled them up I got 1/2 cookie they asked me in October to make these again I will definitely make them today its snowing so a great day to bake since I’m done with everything else.
    Merry Christmas 12-22-22
    Nana Leslie

    Reply
  2. Debbie Burford

    December 22, 2022 at 7:08 am

    DELISH

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 23, 2022 at 2:14 pm

      Thanks, Debbie!

      Reply
  3. Susan

    December 21, 2022 at 3:18 pm

    This is exactly how I’ve been making these cookies for 20+ years except for one important ingredient…the Bourbon! I only add a little but the flavor enhancement is unbeatable. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. Merry Christmas and God bless.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 23, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      I’ll have to try that. I’ve never heard of putting bourbon in fruitcake cookies. Merry Christmas!

      Reply
  4. Lori Walden

    December 17, 2022 at 11:13 am

    I am getting ready to bake and I have the glazed mixed peel from Nuts.com. How much do I use 3 cups? Since it’s all mixed? It sounds like too much for the flour mixture so I wanted to ask.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 20, 2022 at 4:30 pm

      I would guess the amount should be about the same.

      Reply
  5. Wanda Whitmer

    December 6, 2022 at 9:22 pm

    I made these last Christmas and they were fabulous. Everyone I shared with, so enjoyed them.
    I also want to mention that I did order the fruit from Nut.com and was very fresh and tasteful. I was so wondering if they would be too hard. They were not.

    Making again this Christmas along with your Pecan Snowball Cookies. Looking forward on the taste.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 7, 2022 at 9:32 am

      Wonderful! And thank you for letting me know about the fruit. I’m going to go place an order right now.

      Reply
  6. Becky

    December 4, 2022 at 5:19 pm

    I made these a few months ago. They are delicious and perfect!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 5, 2022 at 8:55 am

      Wonderful! Happy you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  7. Elise

    December 3, 2022 at 4:07 pm

    These truly are the best fruitcake cookies. We made a second batch today and added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Delicious!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 5, 2022 at 9:00 am

      That’s wonderful to hear! So glad that you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  8. Susan Willard

    December 2, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    My family has been making fruitcake cookies for as long as I can remember and I am 69 years old. Our recipe calls for bourbon and molasses. Mmmmm takes me back. My nephew made some this week and brought me some. So delicious!! Thanks for the memories!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 5, 2022 at 9:03 am

      I love hearing about family traditions based on recipes like this. Thanks for sharing, Susan!

      Reply
  9. Luisa diaz

    December 2, 2022 at 6:34 am

    Hello Stacey I love your idea, because I don’t use shortening in any of my baking I don’t like it, it doesn’t have not flavor at all

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 2, 2022 at 10:07 am

      Hope you’ll enjoy these!

      Reply
  10. Val Lengert

    November 19, 2022 at 1:56 pm

    So yummy 😋 I will make them again 😀 I couldn’t find any pineapple so added for red & green candied fruit 😋😋😋

    Reply
    • Stacey

      November 21, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      So glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  11. Shanon D Gylnquist

    January 15, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    I left out the lemon extract and made my own candied pineapple with canned pineapple chunks boiled in sugar and corn syrup. After they became translucent I dehydrated them in the oven with drained maraschino cherries for 1/2 an hour at 200 degrees. Made the dough very moist so I needed to bake five minutes more but turned out really good.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      January 18, 2022 at 12:22 pm

      Glad to hear you enjoyed these!

      Reply
  12. Leslie Lynn Gore

    December 25, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    My Family says we now we have a new tradition cookie for Christmas made them Christmas eve they are gone by Christmas morning I did not get a one (sad face so iam making a new batch now,thank you for such great cookies,they remind me my Nana made something like this but she called them stained glass cookie.knew it was going to be good it came from the South.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      January 4, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      Ha! Thanks so much for the high praise! Glad to hear y’all enjoyed them!

      Reply
  13. Pat

    December 23, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    Do you think you could use the butter flavor crisco shortening sticks? Would it give it the flavor?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 23, 2021 at 2:14 pm

      It will certainly give them some more flavor over the regular shortening, but won’t give it them as much flavor as butter will.

      Reply
  14. Carla Tucker

    December 17, 2021 at 10:04 pm

    I’ve baked these for years without the lemon or almond extract and I give them as Christmas gifts. Everyone loves them!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 20, 2021 at 10:22 am

      They’re pretty delicious! Merry Christmas!

      Reply
  15. Francine Jacobson

    December 12, 2021 at 8:08 am

    Those look delicious and I am going to make them and substitute with dates- figs- raisins–
    This is a great recipe with a good size not a size for 48 cookies-
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 13, 2021 at 9:47 am

      Hope you’ll enjoy them!

      Reply
  16. Carol

    December 11, 2021 at 11:05 am

    The basic recipe was awesome. I did not put the pineapples in, and I substituted 8-10 gumdrops (NOT spice drops– UGH). I also used real lard (not the yucky dehydrogenated stuff grocery stores carry); I used something from fatworks.com, which is pricey but worth every penny. Works great for biscuits too, by the way, and don’t use nearly as much as you would if you had used shortening.
    I also left out the lemon extract and substituted a tiny bit of cinnamon nutmeg, and a pinch of clove. Turned out incredible! I may never bake another regular fruit cake again!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 13, 2021 at 9:50 am

      Awesome! Thanks for sharing your variations, Carol!

      Reply
  17. ELIZABETH in TX

    December 9, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    I have butter-vanilla baking emulsion, so I’m wondering if it would be possible to use a 50/50 blend of butter and shortening with satisfactory results?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      December 9, 2021 at 3:28 pm

      It should work just fine.

      Reply
      • ELIZABETH in TX

        December 10, 2021 at 10:48 pm

        Thanks for the response! I’m looking forward to trying these!

        Reply
        • Stacey

          December 13, 2021 at 9:52 am

          Enjoy!!

          Reply

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Stacey Little of Southern Bite

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Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us! Read more…

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