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The Ultimate Chewy Old-Fashioned Fruitcake Cookies

A close-up stack of four chewy fruitcake cookies loaded with colorful candied fruit pieces.
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Make chewy, flavorful cookies that capture the taste of classic fruitcake using candied fruit and pecans. This recipe yields a soft, rich holiday cookie.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed candied fruit (cherries and pineapple), chopped
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup orange juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
  6. Fold in the chopped candied fruit and pecans by hand.
  7. Stir in the orange juice until the dough is uniform. The dough will be thick.
  8. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are set.
  10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • For a stronger citrus flavor, add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the wet ingredients.
  • If your candied fruit seems sticky, toss it lightly with 1 tablespoon of flour before adding it to the dough.
  • Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://tastytribune.com/fruitcake-cookies-chewy-old-fashioned-recipe/