Christmas Fruitcake Cookies Recipe - Celebration Generation (2024)

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The Christmas season is coming up on the horizon, so I’ve been working on all manner of holiday cookies.

In baking circles, people are already planning out the cookie trays and cookie exchange menus, so I figure it’s about time to overhaul my fruitcake drop cookies post.

It’s been a LONG time since I posted this easy recipe - 11 years! So, I baked up a batch of these tender cookies last week, to get some new photos.

These chewy fruitcake cookies have been a holiday staple in our universe for much longer than 11 years, though.

Also, these Christmas cookies were a frequent request when I’d be making holiday gifts - personally - and back when I was catering cookie boxes through my cake business.

Even outside of the holiday season, I’d be getting requests for this delicious cookie when catering a sweets table at a Mensa convention in *October*!

This easy drop cookie recipe is a great addition to any holiday menu, and is sure to pleae the fruitcake lover in your life!

Other Fruitcake Recipes

While I’m not personally a fruitcake fan - in traditional form - I’ve got a few more recipes that are inspired by it.

Rather than using glaceed fruit, I soak dried fruit in liqueur, spirits, or juice, and LOVE the result!

I’ve been making Gluten Free Fruitcake and Gluten Free Fruitcake Cookies for a decade or so, now.

Last year, I created a recipe for Fruitcake Biscotti - SO good!

The Original Post

I’ve been a bit conflicted over posting this fruitcake cookie recipe, much like I was for posting the Pecan Pie Cookies recipe.

Once again, this is a recipe that I’ve had - and used - for years.

Today, I have NO idea where it came from, either from when I got it, or originally. I also have no idea how much I may have adapted it over the years.

I’m 90% sure it was from a fellow caker back in the day - a few of us around the world would swap recipes to use in our businesses - but who?

Did they create it?

Did they get it from someone else?

Was this someone’s generational family tradition?

I have no idea. 🙁

I don’t like how food celebrities tend to just comb the web, looking for recipes to swipe and claim as their own recipe, so I feel a bit icky when doing (somewhat) the same.

Does honesty about it mitigate the “gross” factor at all?

Thing is, these cookies were SUPER popular, back when I was selling holiday cookie trays.

While traditional fruitcake has a bad rap, in cookie form, there were loved by so many people - including those that hated fruitcake with a passion!

It’s been a popular request for a blog entry ever since!

Again, hope I’m not losing any baker’s cred by posting this, but I know it’ll make a bunch of people happy. Especially Davonna. (Hi Nani!)

Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients that should be easy to find in the baking aisle of pretty much any grocery store.

A few notes for you:

Fruit Mixture

This recipe uses 1 ½ lbs of candied fruit, which you can come by in two ways:

1. You can buy a prepared Fruit Cake Mix.

I like to buy the kinds labeled as “Fancy”, “Deluxe”, or “Premium”, as they tend to have bigger pieces, which gives me more control over the final product.

(If you’re in Canada, Bulk Barn is a good place to get it from!)

Or

2. You can use 1 ½ lbs total of whatever types of candied fruit that you like.

Some options include:

Candied Green Cherries
Candied Red Cherries
Candied Pineapple
Candied Lemon Peel
Candied Orange Peel
Candied Citron

Nuts

I generally use Chopped Pecans for this recipe, as I think they give the best flavour.

Chopped Walnuts also work, though, and tend to be a bit more economical.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Golden Raisins
Jack Daniel’s Whiskey*
All purpose flour
Dark Brown Sugar
Unsalted butter
Large eggs
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Cloves
Ground Nutmeg
Baking soda
Salt

... I just don’t really have anything to add about any of these ingredients!

*Alcohol Free Fruitcake Cookies

While the Jack Daniels REALLY works in these Fruitcake Cookies, I know that not everyone wants to have alcohol in their cookies.

Also - contrary to popular belief - it does NOT cook off while baking, btw.

To make this alcohol-free, swap apple juice, apple cider, white cranberry juice, or white grape juice for the Whiskey - just do it in the fridge, rather than at room temperature.

If you’d like to speed the process along: Rather than allowing the fruit to soak in the juice overnight, you can simmer it for about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool before using.

Also, I like to use a couple teaspoons of vanilla extract, when I’m making these as a non alcoholic version. Add them to the batter at the same time as the eggs.

How to Make Fruitcake Cookies

The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through.

Ahead of Time

A day or two before baking the cookies, place raisins in a container, stir in the Jack Daniels, and cover.

Note: I’ll usually use a glass bowl or shallow pan that has a cover for it.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours, shaking every once in a while. (You can let it sit longer if you want - even weeks!)

Make the Cookies

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a couple / few sheet pans with parchment paper.

If your fruitcake mix is made of very large pieces of fruit (like whole cherries), chop it up a bit.

Note: I do NOT use a food processor for this - too sticky!

In a large bowl - or the bowl of an electric mixer / stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment - cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs to the mixing bowl, continue beating on medium speed until eggs are fully incorporated and mixture is once again smoothish and fluffy.

Add most of this dry ingredients mixture (reserving about ½ cup) to the butter & sugar mixture, beat gently until well combined.

Add candied fruit to the remaining flour mixture, toss well to coat the pieces (to separate them a bit).

Add candied fruit, pecans, and soaked raisins to the cookie batter.

Bake in the 325 F oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow baked cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes or so, before gently transferring to wire racks to finish cooling.

Storage

Once cookies are cooled to room temperature, place cookies in an airtight container and store for up to a couple weeks.

(Or more? Dunno, they never last that long!)

Much like actual fruitcake, these tend to get even better with age!

To freeze, cool to room temperature, freeze on the pans, then transfer to a freezer safe bag or other air-tight container.

Will keep in the freezer for at least 3 months. (They’ll keep better in a freezer bag with the air sucked out, than any other storage!).

More Christmas Treats

Looking for more inspiration for your holiday goodies tray? Breakfast, sweet snack or dessert, here are a delicious recipes for you!

Candied Orange Slices
Candy Cane Biscotti
Christmas Bagels
Creme de Menthe Nanaimo Bars
Easy Gingerbread Muffins
Eggnog Muffins
Eggnog Pie
Eggnog Pudding
Eggnog Sticky Buns
Festive Easy Fudge
Gingerbread Bagels
Gingerbread Scones
Gluten-Free Candy Cane Cookies
Gluten Free Fruitcake
Gluten-Free Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
Keto Candy Cane Cookies
No-Bake Gingerbread Pie
Noelles
Pecan Pie Cookies
Peppermint Patties
Traditional Eggnog Mousse

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!

If you like cooking with alcohol, you should check out my first cookbook, The Spirited Baker. It’s FULL of fun, tasty recipes using spirits and liqueurs for flavour – you should check it out:

Combining liqueurs with more traditional baking ingredients can yield spectacular results.Try Mango Mojito Upside Down Cake, Candy Apple Flan, Jalapeno Beer Peanut Brittle, Lynchburg Lemonade Cupcakes, Pina Colada Rum Cake, Strawberry Daiquiri Chiffon Pie, and so much more.

To further add to your creative possibilities, the first chapter teaches how to infuse spirits to make both basic and cream liqueurs, as well as home made flavor extracts! This book contains over 160 easy to make recipes, with variation suggestions to help create hundreds more! Order your hard copy through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.

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