What other time of the year do you eat fruitcake besides Christmas?
If you are from our family the answer would be...never.
Fruitcake makes an appearance at our house at Christmas and Christmas only.
It's not really our favorite.
That being said...I wanted to try something that was fruitcake-like but without all the hassle of making fruitcake.
Enter these easy fruitcake cookies that I found over at Suite 101.
I enjoyed these as a substitute for actual fruitcake. They are much lighter and (of course) simpler to make.
I'm calling them the lazy man's (woman's?) fruitcake.
Fruitcake Cookies
(adapted from Suite 101)
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup candied red cherries, chopped
1/2 cup candied green cherries, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until well mixed. Beat in egg, vanilla & almond extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder & soda, and spices.
Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk into the creamed butter mixture, mix well.
Fold in pecans, dates, red & green cherries.
Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared cooking tray.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven, let cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
This easily can be doubled, in case you have someone who really, really loves fruitcake.
Not really an issue at our house.
If you need a very Christmas-y cookie to bring to a cookie swap or other Christmas event - this is a good one.
I don't think I've ever seen fruitcake cookies. Twists like this on traditional recipes are fun. Thanks for linking!
ReplyDeleteI am one of those crazy people who love fruit cake! These cookies look so yummy. Thank you for sharing this at the Home for the Holidays link Party. I hope you continue to bring more of your wonderful recipes, the party continues for a month!
ReplyDeleteYes I like it too.
DeleteBeen making Christmas cakes all week.. Now I need something smaller to use up excess ingredients.. These look wonderful, just what I needed! Thank you for sharing your recipe, hubbs says they look yummy! 😋
ReplyDeleteThank you Arleena! We hope you enjoy them :)
DeleteI made these last year for my Grandfather who loves fruitcake and they were a major hit! I'm back this year for the recipe again...thanks so much! They are really yummy!
ReplyDeleteCan I spike theses cookies with some whiskey ? If yes , how much ? Thank you .
ReplyDeleteGood question Denise! I'm sure you could (but have never tried it myself). I would have to play around with it to actually know how much to put in but I think a good starting point would be one or two tablespoons. If you try it, please let us know how it works out!
DeleteInstead of spiking the cookies make a rum glaze to drizzel on top works as well and you dont have to do it to the whole batch.
DeleteBrilliant idea! Thank you :)
DeleteAre these a soft cookie? They sound delicious!
ReplyDeleteYes, they are quite soft. :) Thank you.
DeleteThanks! Going to give these a try this year. :)
DeleteOmgggg I made these and they are all the best parts of fruit cake. Soft and chewy and fruity and amazing!!!!
ReplyDelete- Kerry
That's good to hear. I plan to make these today.. I can't wait to try them.
DeleteIf you need to chop candied fruits, put them in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
DeleteThen I chop with typical cabbage chopper. So easy. It is impossible to cut or chop sticky fruits right out of container and the cherries are usually whole.
Thank you Kerry ��❤️ So glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteI would think you could marinate your fruit, especially if you use a citron or raisin in rum or whiskey and then drain before adding to the batter
ReplyDeleteI always marinate my fruit 2.5 to 3 month in fridge and use an orange whiskey.
DeleteMy mother made these cookies for years, going back to the 1950s! They are one of my favorites for the season
ReplyDeleteI have my late paternal Grandmother's recipe for these. Always one of our family's favorites.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been looking for this or a similar recipe. I found it in a Southern Living cookbook and all I could remember is it had red and green cherries, dates and buttermilk. I lost the cookbook. So I will be trying this and see how close it is to what I had made. And everyone, I mean everyone loves this even if they hate fruitcake. ❤️
ReplyDelete