Fruitcake Christmas Cookies

Total Time Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min./batch
Yield 4 dozen
Test Kitchen Approved
A twist on classic fruitcake, these easy fruitcake cookies are as festive as they are fun to bake.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups dates, finely chopped
  • 4 ounces red candied cherries, halved
  • 4 ounces candied pineapple, diced
  • 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  2. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container. (Cookies are best after a few days.)

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 118 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated fat), 14mg cholesterol, 65mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.

As holiday gifts, these rich fruit-and nut-filled cookies are pretty and practical. These are great make ahead Christmas cookies —the taste actually gets better over time! —Julia Funkhouser, Carson, Iowa
Recipe Creator

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