Mom's Christmas Fruitcake Cookies

A holiday tradition at our house for over 60 years, these cookies are full of candied fruit, pecans, and rum-soaked dates. It wouldn't be Christmas without them.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 183 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 pound candied pineapple
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 pound dates
• ¼ cup shortening (such as Crisco®)
• 2 pounds red and green candied cherries
• 6 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2

The day before: chop dates into small pieces and put in a glass bowl. Add rum. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 8 hours, or overnight, to absorb the rum. You can leave this step out if you want but I find it makes the dates more delicious and the cookies have more flavor.

Step 3

Dice candied cherries and pineapple into small pieces and place in a very large bowl; I use the top of my cake carrier. Add pecans, followed by dates. Add 1 cup flour. Toss well to coat all of the pieces and break them up so they are not sticking together.

Step 4

Whisk baking soda into the milk and let it dissolve.

Step 5

Mix shortening into the fruit. Add remaining flour, sugar, eggs, orange juice, nutmeg, salt, and milk-baking soda mixture. Mix together with your hands just until you no longer see the flour. Try not to overmix. The batter will be very dense.

Step 6

Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to drop the cookies onto the prepared pans, about 1 inch apart.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire cooling racks.