Who needs fruitcake when you can have fruitcake cookies?
Fruitcake might be divisive, but these fruitcake cookies bring all the festive flavors of the traditional holiday cake in a much more crowd-pleasing form. They’re packed with candied fruit and chopped walnuts with warm spices like cinnamon and clove.
The cookie format makes them perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, and they’re way less intimidating to make than an actual fruitcake. Plus, they freeze beautifully, so you can make them ahead for your holiday gatherings.
More dairy free Christmas cookies: soft sugar cookies / grinch cookies / chocolate molasses sugar cookies / spicy gingersnaps
Ingredient notes:
- Candied fruit – You’ll also need candied fruit for this recipe. I bought a fruitcake mix in the baking aisle of my grocery store, but you can also make your own blend or make some entirely from scratch.
- Dairy free butter – I like to use Earth balance vegan buttery sticks for baking. If you have a favorite plant based or dairy free butter alternative, you can definitely use it, but each brand will yield different results. Vegetable shortening, like Crisco is also a great option for dairy free baking.
- Walnuts – Walnuts or pecans work really well in this recipe, whichever you prefer. If you want to make this recipe nut free, go ahead and omit the nuts.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Don’t over mix the dough. Once you add the flour, mix just until incorporated. Over-mixing develops gluten and can make cookies tough.
- Use a cookie scoop. A medium cookie scoop ensures consistent sizing, which means even baking. All cookies will be done at the same time.
- Make ahead and freeze. These cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.
- Storage. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. The flavors actually improve after a day or two.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make the dough up to 2 days ahead. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping and baking.
The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly golden. The centers might look slightly underdone, but they’ll continue to cook as they cool on the baking sheet. They should bake for 10-12 minutes total.
Yes, they have all the classic fruitcake flavors – candied fruit, warm spices, and nuts. If you like fruitcake, you’ll love these cookies. If you’re not a fruitcake fan, the cookie format might make them more appealing.
More holiday recipe favorites: Italian anise cookies / almond crescent cookies / Christmas sangria / dairy free egg nog
Fruitcake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup dairy free butter, or vegetable shortening
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped candied fruit
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat oven to 350˚F. While the oven heats, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and measure out all of your ingredients.
- Mix your dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, spices and salt together until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined.
- Combine your wet and dry ingredients. Add flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until incorporated, scrapping sides as needed. Mix until incorporated. Stir in the candied fruit and nuts until they're evenly distributed in the dough.
- Bake your cookies. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop 2 tablespoon balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.Remove from oven and let cookies cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hi, Melissa. These cookies are so full of seasonal deliciousness! Just wondering if the directions got left off the recipe card on purpose? I am old fashioned and like to print out the recipe. I see that the directions are in the post itself, so I will use those for now. Thanks!
Oh yeah. That isn’t right. Something must have gotten messed up. I’ll make sure to fix it right away.
Soooooooo… would you be shocked and disappointed if I told you that I’ve never eaten fruit cake, let alone baked it, at the holidays? You hear all the stories about it, but I’ve never experienced it firsthand. That said, I’m so intrigued by these cookies and how you adapted your favorite chocolate chip recipe to include the candied fruit. They look so pretty!
Thank you so much for helping with this year’s cookie exchange and sharing your new recipe AND spreading the love, too! I am so happy we got to meet this year and spend time together!
I was looking for dairy-free Christmas treats for my neighbour and these were delicious! I love the spices, fruit, and chopped pecans. Mine took a lot longer to bake but when they browned up a bit, they were perfect. Thanks!
They didn’t look done after the 10 to 12 minutes. They still looked too soft. Am I doin something wron. I added more baking time.
I’ve never commented on an online recipe before, but after making your brownies and these cookies I thought it was only right to do so. Not only was the recipe incredibly simple and easy to follow, but the end result was delicious as well. As I’m located in the UK, I couldn’t find the sort of candied fruit you would find in the US, so I subsituted brandy-soaked dried fruit.
I’ve been finding it difficult to located dairy-free desert recipes for Kosher meat meals, and your site has been a savior in this respect! Thank you!