Fruitcake Cookies Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Fruitcake Cookies
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Feb 14, 2022 • 3 min read
Dried fruit, candied cherries, and chopped pecans soaked in maple syrup and bourbon bring all the flavor of old-fashioned fruitcake to these easy fruitcake cookies.
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What Are Fruitcake Cookies?
Fruitcake cookies are baked goods that taste like fruitcake in cookie form. Like traditional fruitcakes, these cookies feature a spiced dough studded with dried and candied fruit as well as nuts. Incorporating liquor such as bourbon, brandy, or rum, into the cookie dough adds an optional depth of flavor. To shape the cookies, either roll the dough into a log and slice the cookies, or use a spoon or cookie scoop to make drop cookies.
3 Tips for Making Fruitcake Cookies
Follow these tips to create fruitcake cookies that look and taste like Christmas.
- 1. Use Christmas-colored ingredients. You can easily switch up the candied fruit in any fruitcake cookie recipe. For festive Christmas cookies, use a mix of red and green candied cherries, also known as glacé cherries.
- 2. Macerate your dried fruit mixture ahead of time. Macerating, or soaking dried fruit in sugar and liquid, softens and plumps the fruit. Soak the dried fruit for at least four hours, so it soaks up as much flavor as possible. Macerating adds a chewy texture and more flavor to the baked cookies. Try macerating your fruit in liquor like dry sherry or bourbon to give your cookies a kick.
- 3. Chill your cookie dough. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least two hours before baking, so the dough is easier to shape and form. Chilling the dough also gives the dry ingredients time to absorb the moisture from the wet ingredients.
How to Store Fruitcake Cookies
Store your fruitcake cookies in an airtight container for up to seven days. To keep cookies extra fresh, add half a slice of any kind of bread to the container to help the cookies absorb moisture. This trick will keep your cookies soft and chewy; replace the bread every two days to prevent the cookies from drying out. For longer storage, you can store raw fruitcake cookie dough in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. When baking from frozen dough, allow the dough to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before scooping and baking.
Bourbon Maple Rye Fruitcake Cookie Recipe
makes
60prep time
35 mintotal time
20 mincook time
20 minIngredients
Note: The total time does not include 6 hours of inactive time.
- 1
In a small bowl, combine the dried cranberries, dried apricots, candied cherries, maple syrup, and bourbon and toss to coat. Cover and let macerate at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, rye flour, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pecans.
- 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, brown sugar, 1 egg, and vanilla extract on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 5–8 minutes.
- 4
With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the macerated fruits and liquid, and mix until smooth.
- 5
Lay two large sheets of plastic wrap on a clean work surface.
- 6
Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap.
- 7
Shape the dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter.
- 8
Wrap the dough logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- 9
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- 10
Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl and whisk, adding a little water if necessary to form a loose, pourable consistency.
- 11
Unwrap the cookie dough logs and pour the demerara sugar onto a large plate.
- 12
Using a pastry brush, brush each log with an egg wash and roll in demerara sugar.
- 13
Slice each log into ½-inch-wide rounds and place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets.
- 14
Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 20 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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