My chewy dried fruit cookies strike the right steadiness between healthful and scrumptious. If you happen to’re like me, you like indulgent treats which can be nonetheless a little bit more healthy and tremendous straightforward to make. My recipe is strictly that – with half the quantity of sugar and complete wheat flour, and that includes tart, dried cherries, and crunchy pecans. It’s excellent for anybody who loves a fruity dessert that’s preferrred for the entire household and nice for the vacations too!
My cookies have been impressed by fruitcake – in a great way! They’re speckled with nuts and cherries and have a moist, decadent texture.
I promise, this isn’t your common spin on fruitcake. As an alternative of a dense, aged cake crammed with synthetic colours, I’ve taken all the most effective components of the basic vacation recipe and gave it a cookie makeover that’s comfortable, chewy, and stuffed with taste.
Even for individuals who don’t love fruitcake, belief me they’ll love my dried fruit cookies! And when you’re on the lookout for extra fruit-filled cookies like this one, be sure you take a look at my cranberry oat cookies and for extra cookie inspiration, attempt considered one of my 40 straightforward vegan cookie recipes!
I really like the moist and chewy texture of those cookies, adopted by the crunch of pecans and a pop of tart cherry. They’re so good, that I discover it exhausting to cease at only one, and my youngsters simply can’t resist these chewy fruit cookies both!
Plus, my recipe is made with all-natural substances, freed from synthetic colours or flavors, and is each low in sugar and fats, making these wholesome dried fruit cookies. I take advantage of much less butter, cut back the sugar, and go for unsweetened dried fruit as a substitute of candied fruit. Every cookie incorporates simply 6 grams of added sugar.
One other bonus is that they’re supply of fiber. As an alternative of conventional white flour, I take advantage of complete wheat flour, giving every cookie 3 grams of dietary fiber. If I pair one with a chunk of fruit, I’ve acquired a nutritious snack. It’s a deal with I be ok with serving!
And I really like how easy these cookies are to make! I take advantage of reasonably priced primary pantry substances and the recipe is almost easy—with simply 10 minutes of prep, a fast chill, and about 10 minutes within the oven. That’s it! It’s also possible to simply customise them with mix-ins or make them vegan or gluten free – see my suggestions under on how to do that.
However the most effective half is that I can bake these cookies all yr lengthy! They make a improbable do-it-yourself present in the course of the holidays and are excellent for Christmas events, however I really like them a lot that I discover myself making them in the course of summer time too!
Newest Recipe Video!
🥘 Substances
My dried fruit cookies recipe calls for easy substances that you may simply discover at your native grocery retailer! Every one performs a key position in guaranteeing these cookies have the right texture. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card on the backside of the publish for the precise quantities and dietary data.
Butter: Added for richness and moisture, I take advantage of much less butter than most cookie recipes. I take advantage of room-temperature butter for simpler mixing.
Egg: In baking eggs assist to bind dough collectively in addition to add moisture and construction. I take advantage of a big egg for this recipe.
Brown Sugar: To offer the cookies a deeper molasses-like taste and chewy texture, I take advantage of darkish brown sugar. However gentle brown sugar may also work. It’s also possible to use cane sugar or coconut sugar instead of the brown sugar and even monk fruit to make the cookies even decrease in sugar.
Milk: I add a little bit full-fat milk to assist in giving the cookies extra richness and moisture, however you should utilize lower-fat or plant-based milk when you want.
Complete Wheat Flour: To make my recipe a little bit more healthy and add some additional fiber, I like to make use of complete wheat flour. Nonetheless, all function flour works too.
Baking Soda: This common leavening agent, offers my cookies rise and contributes to their excellent texture. If you happen to don’t have baking soda, you should utilize baking powder however you’ll want to make use of it in a 3:1 ratio (so this recipe requires 1 teaspoon of baking soda, so that you’ll want to make use of 3 teaspoons of baking powder as an equal).
Salt: Only a pinch of salt helps to carry out the most effective taste in all the substances.
Pecans: The pecans add a nutty taste and a yummy crunch. I take advantage of a mixture of chopped and complete nuts for a various texture. Be at liberty to substitute them with any nuts you want comparable to macadamia nuts, walnuts, or almonds.
Unsweetened Dried Cherries: I combine in some dried cherries to present the cookies their fruitcake-like look. and so as to add some basic cherry taste. Nonetheless, be at liberty to make use of any kind of dried fruit you want comparable to raisins, currants, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, and diced dried apricots. For a vacation really feel, you possibly can add some candied inexperienced cherries.
Making cookies with dried fruit and nuts actually isn’t a lot totally different from making my oat flour chocolate chip cookies! You don’t must be an skilled baker to whip up an ideal batch of those chewy treats.
Watch my video under to see my dry fruit cookies recipe in motion!
Cream Butter And Sugar: To start, I put the room temperature butter and brown sugar within the giant bowl of an electrical mixer with a paddle attachment. Then I beat the combination at medium velocity for about 2 minutes till gentle and fluffy. It’s also possible to use an electrical hand mixer or a big meals processor.
Add Moist Substances: As soon as creamed, I add the egg and milk to the sugar combination and beat once more till completely mixed.
Whisk Dry Substances: In a separate medium bowl, I whisk collectively the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Mix Moist And Dry Substances: First, I add half of the flour combination to the butter combination and blend to mix. Then I add the remaining flour and stir once more simply till absolutely mixed. Don’t over-mix the dough.
Add Nuts and Fruit: After the cookie dough is fashioned, I stir within the pecans and dried cherries.
Portion Dough: I take advantage of a small cookie scoop to portion out the comfortable dough onto a plate or sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Then I switch the cookie balls to the fridge to sit back for 1 hour.
Bake: When prepared, I preheat my oven to 400 levels Fahrenheit (200 levels Celcius). Subsequent, I prepare the chilled cookies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, ensuring that they’re spaced about 2 inches aside. Then I put the cookies within the preheated oven and allow them to bake for 8-10 minutes or till golden brown.
Cool: After baking, I take away the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for one minute earlier than transferring them to a cooling rack.
My #1 Secret Tip for making the right dried fruit and nut cookies is to sit back the dough for a full hour earlier than baking.
Belief me, this step makes all of the distinction! Whenever you chill the dough, it offers the fats time to solidify.
This implies your cookies will unfold much less within the oven and keep good and thick. Plus, chilling enhances the flavour, providing you with that completely chewy texture all of us crave in cookie.
Different Suggestions To Maintain In Thoughts:
- Room Temperature Substances: I all the time begin with room temperature butter, eggs, and milk, which helps the dough mix collectively extra easily. Chilly butter doesn’t cream as effectively with sugar, and chilly eggs could make the batter lumpy. I let my substances sit out for about half-hour earlier than I start baking.
- Combine Moist and Dry Individually: This would possibly appear to be an additional step, however it’s completely price it. It helps forestall clumps of flour and reduces the chance of over-mixing, which may make cookies robust as a substitute of tender.
- Use A Cookie Scoop: If you happen to’ve by no means used a cookie scoop earlier than, you’re going to like it. This helpful device helps me make all my cookies the identical measurement, in order that they bake evenly.
- Crispier Cookies: If you happen to want crispy cookies, simply bake them a bit longer. As an alternative of pulling them out at 8-10 minutes, go away them in for nearer to 12 minutes. Simply be sure you keep watch over them in order that they don’t overbake.
- Use Unsweetened Dried Fruit: When selecting dried fruit, I all the time keep away from these with added sugar. Dried fruit is of course candy, and the additional sugar could make the cookies overly candy – however if you need a brilliant candy cookie then sweetened dried fruit may also work.
📖 Variations
Dried Fruit Oatmeal Cookies: Begin with an oatmeal cookie base made with old school oats or fast oats like my sugar free oatmeal cookies or vegan oatmeal cookies. Then fold within the nuts and dried fruit and also you’ll have the right oatmeal dried fruit cookies!
Combined Fruit Cookies: Flip this right into a blended dried fruit cookies recipe. I simply used dried cherries on this model, however you should utilize any mixture of fruits you want. You’ll be able to even omit the pecans and sub with extra fruit. Assume cranberry, raisin, dried pineapple and dried ginger, or diced dried fig and craisins.
Add Different Flavors: If you wish to add one other layer of taste attempt utilizing a 1/2 teaspoon of fragrant vanilla extract or nutty almond extract. I add it to the dough with the milk. It’s also possible to add a little bit maple syrup instead of the sugar for maple taste (substitute as a lot as you need in a 1:1 substitution), or add 1/4 teaspoon of heat spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice for fall flavors!
Chocolate Chips: Including chocolate is considered one of my favourite methods to sweeten up my fruit and nut cookies recipe. You need to use milk chocolate, darkish chocolate, semisweet, or my favourite with this recipe – white chocolate, which works effectively with the cherries.
Prime With Glaze: After the cookies have utterly cooled on the wire rack, drizzle them with powdered sugar icing like my chocolate donut glaze or cherry fritters glaze!
Path Combine: Strive utilizing a path combine instead of the nuts and cherries to make do-it-yourself path combine cookies.
Vegan: To make this recipe vegan, I merely use coconut oil or vegan butter as a substitute of standard butter, a flax egg (1 tablespoon of floor flaxseed blended with 2.5 tablespoons of water) instead of the egg, and any dairy-free milk as a substitute of cow’s milk.
Gluten-Free: For gluten free cookies, all you must do is use an all-purpose gluten free flour mix. I like to recommend utilizing one which incorporates xanthan gum for the most effective texture. Gluten free oat flour can be another choice.
🍽 Serving Strategies
You’ll be able to serve my wholesome fruit cookies as a candy and healthful deal with on their very own, or pair them with a scrumptious beverage or toppings for a fair sweeter expertise. Listed below are a few of my favorites.
Drinks: Dried fruit biscuits are excellent with scorching drinks like my oat milk scorching chocolate, lavender latte, and oatmilk honey latte. Across the holidays, you possibly can’t go flawed with serving them as festive Christmas cookies with some eggnog or a easy glass of standard or plant-based milk.
Ice Cream: Flip these cookies into an indulgent dessert by pairing them with my caramel good cream, chocolate banana ice cream, mango good cream, or lychee ice cream! I like both warming the cookies and topping them with ice cream or making mini ice cream sandwiches.
Different Cookies: If you happen to’re having a household gathering or celebration, attempt including these cookies to a variety with another favorites like my powdered peanut butter cookies, black sesame cookies, and no bake cookies with out peanut butter.
🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating
Room Temperature: I retailer the cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 3 days. If I nonetheless have some on day 3, I transfer them to the fridge, the place they keep recent for a few week.
Freezing & Reheating Baked Cookies: For longer storage, I freeze the cookies as soon as they’ve cooled utterly. I place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and so they preserve effectively for as much as 3 months. After I’m able to take pleasure in them, I simply let the cookies thaw at room temperature for about half-hour.
Freezing The Dough: I really like freezing the dough to have cookies prepared each time I would like!
- Technique 1: I roll the dough right into a log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and retailer it in an hermetic container or freezer bag. After I’m able to bake, I thaw the dough at room temperature, slice it into rounds, roll these into balls, refrigerate for 1 hour, after which bake as regular.
- Technique 2: I scoop the dough into balls as directed within the recipe, freeze them on a tray till stable, then switch them to a freezer-safe bag. After I’m able to bake, I place the frozen dough balls instantly on a baking sheet and bake, including 2-3 additional minutes to the baking time.
❓Recipe FAQs
I do know my cookies are achieved when the sides are frivolously golden and set, whereas the facilities nonetheless look a little bit comfortable. The trick is to take them out earlier than they’re absolutely agency as a result of they’ll proceed to set as they cool on the baking sheet. If you happen to wait till they’re agency within the oven, they’re more likely to find yourself over baked.
Exhausting cookies are normally attributable to over-baking or utilizing an excessive amount of flour. To keep away from this, I take away the cookies as quickly as the sides flip golden. Moreover, if the dough feels dry earlier than baking, attempt including a little bit extra milk.
Completely! You need to use dehydrated fruit identical to common dried fruit. Merely add it to the dough as directed, no want for any additional steps.
For my recipe, soaking the cherries isn’t vital. Nonetheless, in case your dried fruit feels additional dry or robust, soaking it could assist rehydrate and soften it a bit. Soaking is totally non-obligatory and doesn’t dramatically change the feel or style of those cookies.
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📋 Recipe Card
Dried Fruit Cookies (Tender, Chewy, Simple!)
My chewy dried fruit cookies strike the right steadiness between healthful and scrumptious. If you happen to’re like me, you like indulgent treats which can be nonetheless a little bit more healthy and tremendous straightforward to make. My recipe is strictly that – with half the quantity of sugar and complete wheat flour, and that includes tart, dried cherries, and crunchy pecans. It is excellent for anybody who loves a fruity dessert that is preferrred for the entire household and nice for the vacations too!
Servings: 16 cookies
Energy: 199kcal
Store Substances on Jupiter- Combine Individually: Combine moist substances and dry substances in separate bowls earlier than combining.
- Be Conscious Of Bowl Measurement: Slowly add the dry substances to the moist substances, which suggests you’ll need to put the moist substances in a bigger bowl.
- Use A Cookie Scoop: This helpful kitchen device helps you get completely uniform cookies.
- Refrigerate Cookie Balls Earlier than Baking: This course of solidifies the fats within the cookies. Because of this when the cookies are baking, it would take longer for the chilled fats to soften than room temperature fats which is able to assist preserve the Christmas fruit cookies from spreading an excessive amount of after they bake.
- For Crispier Cookies: If you happen to want crispy dried fruit Christmas cookies, bake for nearer to 10-12 minutes.
- Every cookie has 6 grams of added sugar, the remaining sugar is from the cherries.
- To make these cookies vegan, use coconut oil instead of the butter, a flax egg instead of the egg, and your alternative of dairy free milk instead of the milk.
- To make these cookies gluten free, use gluten free oat flour.
Serving: 1cookie | Energy: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fats: 12g | Saturated Fats: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 4g | Trans Fats: 0.3g | Ldl cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g