These festive vegan fruitcake cookies are perfect for your holiday table. They're easy to make and are filled with dried fruit and nuts. Plus, they're tastier than regular fruitcake!
While fruitcake is a traditional Christmas dessert, many people aren't fans of the dense cake. These cookies have similar flavors but are much more fun to eat. It's a cinnamon spiced cookie that is a family favorite.
If you're looking for other Christmas cookies, try my vegan Mexican hot chocolate cookies, vegan candy cane sugar cookies, and my vegan double chocolate peppermint cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Traditional with a twist: While everyone knows fruitcake is for Christmas, many don't like eating it. These delicious cookies will have everyone enjoying the flavors of fruitcake.
- Easy to make: Just one bowl is needed to whip up these cookies.
- Versatile: You can switch up the kind of dried fruit or nuts to make it your own. Suggestions are below.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter: My favorite brand to bake with is Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks.
- Candied cherries: Your local grocery store probably carries it. But I ended up ordering mine online. I used the red cherries but you could also use the green.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in these cookies.
Variations
- Switch up the nut: Try walnuts, almonds, or any other kind of nut.
- Switch up the dried fruit: No need to include candied cherries if you don't like them. You can also try dried apricots, dried cranberries, regular raisins, or any other type of dried fruit.
How To Make Vegan Fruitcake Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
Step 2: Using a stand mixer or electric mixer and large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter and brown sugar.
Step 3: Add in the vanilla extract, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger and give it a quick mix.
Step 4: Mix in the flour until it's all just combined. Don't overmix the dough.
Step 5: Stir in the dried fruit and nuts until well incorporated throughout the dough. Use a spoon or even your hands to mix it.
Step 6: Using your hands, cookie scoop or a spoon, take about 1½ tablespoons of dough, form a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Use your hand to slightly flatten the dough ball as the cookies don't spread when baking.
Step 7: Bake in the preheated oven for about 14 minutes. Let the baked cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Plate and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- There is a lot of dried fruit and nuts in these cookies. Make sure they're well incorporated into the dough so every cookie has a good amount.
- Make sure you flatten the cookie dough balls before baking. These cookies don't spread as they bake.
- The cookies will be very soft right out of the oven. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before you move them to a cooling rack.
Recipe and Storage FAQs
Store these vegan fruitcake cookies an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nope. I don't love candied cherries but I do use them in this recipe for the color and texture. There's a small amount so they aren't overpowering.
Fruitcake is a dense cake made with dried fruit, nuts and spices that's popular during Christmas. It's often soaked in alcohol for flavor although I didn't add any alcohol to this recipe.
More Cookie Recipes
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Recipe
Vegan Fruitcake Cookies
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Baking sheet
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup prunes, chopped
- ¼ cup candied cherries, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer or electric mixer and large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter and brown sugar.
- Add in the vanilla extract, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger and give it a quick mix.
- Mix in the flour until it's all just combined. Don't overmix the dough.
- Stir in the dried fruit and nuts until well incorporated throughout the dough.
- Using your hands, cookie scoop or a spoon, take about 1½ tablespoons of dough, form a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Use your hand to slightly flatten the dough ball as the cookies don't spread when baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 14 minutes. Let the baked cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- There is a lot of dried fruit and nuts in these cookies. Make sure they're well incorporated into the dough so every cookie has a good amount.
- Make sure you flatten the cookie dough balls before baking. These cookies don't spread as they bake.
- The cookies will be very soft right out of the oven. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before you move them to a cooling rack.
- Feel free to change up the dried fruit and nuts for other kinds. Walnuts, dried apricots, dried cranberries - you can use your favorites.
Marvin says
Nostalgia in a cookie. Growing up I hated fruitcakes but somehow in cookie form they are amazing!
Jen Cardenas says
Thank you! I feel the same.