an overhead photo of a plate of fruitcake cookies with a second plate of cookies in the background with a glass of cashew milk and pine brances

Who needs fruitcake when you can have fruitcake cookies?

I know that most people either love or hate it, but fruitcake has always been a holiday favorite of mine. I have loved it for as long as I can remember, and I never feel like Christmas is complete with out it.

Last year, I bought a big container of candied fruit to make it, but then I found out a day later that my mom had already made a batch. I put the candied fruit in the cabinet and it just sat there staring at me every time I opened the door.

I felt terrible that it was taking up so much space in my pantry, and that I hadn’t gotten around to making anything with it. But, I finally realized, I didn’t have to actually make fruitcake. So, I adapted my favorite dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe and gave it a little fruitcake makeover.

More dairy free Christmas cookies: soft sugar cookies / grinch cookies / chocolate molasses sugar cookies / almond crescents / spicy gingersnaps

Dairy Free Product Guide

Don’t waste your money trying a bunch of products. I’ve already tried them all, and I’m sharing my tried-and-true favorites.

a stack of five fruitcake cookies surrounded by a red striped napkin, pine leaves, more cookies and a glass of cashew milk

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Here’s what you’ll need to make fruitcake cookies:

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.

How to make fruitcake cookies

Mix your dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream your shortening, sugars and spices (you can use butter if you aren’t dairy free) in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat it at a medium speed until it’s light and fluffy. I like to add my spices during this step to bring out the flavors and give them more time to develop.

Add the wet ingredients. Add your eggs and vanilla extract. Continue beating at a medium speed until incorporated, but be careful not to overdo it with your eggs or you’ll end up with tough cookies.

a plate of fruitcake cookies with a second plate of cookies in the background with a glass of cashew milk and pine brances

Combine your wet and dry ingredients. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, about 3/4 cup at a time. Mix until incorporated, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.

Mix in the candied fruit and nuts. Add your candied fruits and walnuts (or pecans) just before you’re done, and mix until they’re evenly distributed in the batter.

Bake your cookies in a 350˚F oven for 10 – 11 minutes. Make sure to line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy removal. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

hand dipping a fruitcake cookies into a glass of cashew milk with more cookies scattered around the glass and a red and ivory striped napkin and pine leaves in the background

More Christmas recipes: