Bettie's Fruitcake Cookies
Submitted by Calmarie
Honey-sweetened drop cookies spiked with dark rum and loaded with candied cherries, orange peel, pineapple, golden raisins, and walnuts. All the flavors of fruitcake in a single bite.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
45 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsFor everyone who loves the idea of fruitcake but doesn’t want to commit to a whole loaf, these cookies are your holiday answer.
Bettie’s recipe swaps sugar for honey, adds a splash of dark rum (or pineapple juice if you prefer), and packs the dough with candied cherries, orange peel, candied pineapple, golden raisins, and a generous three cups of chopped walnuts.
Warm spices like cloves, allspice, and nutmeg fill the kitchen with that unmistakable holiday aroma as they bake low and slow until lightly golden.
They’re dense, chewy, and fruity, and they keep for weeks in a tin, which makes them ideal for gifting or stashing for the cookie swap.
Pro Tips
- Stream the honey into the beaten butter slowly. This creates a smoother, lighter base that’s easier to fold the heavy fruits into.
- Toss the nuts and candied fruits with the remaining flour before folding them in. This coats them so they distribute evenly instead of clumping.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes as directed. It’s sticky from all that honey and needs firming up or you’ll have flat puddles instead of cookies.
- Bake low and slow. These cookies dry out fast at higher heat, but the gentle temperature keeps them chewy inside.
Ingredients
Directions
In a mixing bowl, beat butter until light; continue beating while adding honey in a fine stream.
Beat in eggs and rum.
Dissolve baking soda in milk; add to honey mixture.
Sift together flour, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
Stir half of the flour mixture into honey mixture.
Toss nuts, cherries, raisins, orange peel and pineapple with remaining flour; fold into dough.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown.
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