Fruitcake Christmas Cookies

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!

Fruitcake Christmas Cookies

Average Rating: 4.727272

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min./batch
YIELD: about 3-1/2 dozen.

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

Instructions

  • 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 teaspoonfuls 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: 265 calories, 15g fat (6g saturated fat), 33mg cholesterol, 168mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (23g sugars, 2g fiber), 3g protein.