Day 12- The Final Recipe: Old-Fashioned Fruit Cake Cookies

Here’s a recipe that has long divided families: fruitcake. Some people love it, while others can take it or leave it—it’s definitely an acquired taste. I remember as a child going to the grocery store with my granny a week before Christmas, helping her pick out all the ingredients for these cookies. Sometimes we even had to visit specialty shops to find candied fruit, dates, and rum. While I wasn’t a fan of traditional fruitcake, I always enjoyed these cookies—the texture wasn’t gelatinous like a classic fruitcake, and they were made with so much love and care. I hope that if you try them, you’ll enjoy them too… and maybe even have a few people in your family reconsider their opinion of fruitcake!

Fruit Cake Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

2 cups mixed candied fruit (fruitcake mix)

½ cup chopped dates

1 cup raisins or golden raisins

¼ cup orange juice (or apple juice)

¼ cup bourbon or rum, optional (replace part or all of the juice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (low and slow baking helps keep the cookies soft). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.

6. Stir in the pecans, candied fruit, raisins, and dates. Add the orange or apple juice (rum or bourbon) and mix until the dough is evenly blended. The dough will be thick and chunky—perfect for fruit-cake style cookies!

7. Drop by rounded tablespoons (or use a small cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets.

8. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. The centers should remain soft.

9. Let cool briefly on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:

• Cookies improve in flavor after a day—just like traditional fruitcake!

• Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for longer.

• Add a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze if you want a softer, sweeter finish.