My chewy dried fruit cookies strike the right stability between healthful and scrumptious. If you happen to’re like me, you’re keen on indulgent treats which might be nonetheless slightly more healthy and tremendous straightforward to make. My recipe is precisely that – with half the quantity of sugar and entire wheat flour, and that includes tart, dried cherries, and crunchy pecans. It’s good for anybody who loves a fruity dessert that’s splendid for the entire household and nice for the vacations too!
My cookies had 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 very best elements of the basic vacation recipe and gave it a cookie makeover that’s tender, chewy, and filled with taste.
Even for individuals who don’t love fruitcake, belief me they’ll love my dried fruit cookies! And in case you’re in search of extra fruit-filled cookies like this one, you should definitely take a look at my cranberry oat cookies and for extra cookie inspiration, strive considered one of my 40 easy 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 arduous to cease at only one, and my children 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 exploit much less butter, scale back the sugar, and go for unsweetened dried fruit as a substitute of candied fruit. Every cookie accommodates simply 6 grams of added sugar.
One other bonus is that they’re a very good supply of fiber. As an alternative of conventional white flour, I exploit entire wheat flour, giving every cookie 3 grams of dietary fiber. If I pair one with a bit of fruit, I’ve obtained 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 exploit inexpensive fundamental pantry substances and the recipe is sort of easy—with simply 10 minutes of prep, a fast chill, and about 10 minutes within the oven. That’s it! You may as well simply customise them with mix-ins or make them vegan or gluten free – see my suggestions under on how to do that.
However the very best half is that I can bake these cookies all 12 months lengthy! They make a incredible home made present through the holidays and are good for Christmas events, however I really like them a lot that I discover myself making them in the midst of summer season too!
Newest Recipe Video!
🥘 Elements
My dried fruit cookies recipe calls for easy substances you could simply discover at your native grocery retailer! Each performs a key function in guaranteeing these cookies have the right texture. Scroll right down to the recipe card on the backside of the put up for the precise quantities and dietary info.
Butter: Added for richness and moisture, I exploit much less butter than most cookie recipes. I exploit room-temperature butter for simpler mixing.
Egg: In baking eggs assist to bind dough collectively in addition to add moisture and construction. I exploit a big egg for this recipe.
Brown Sugar: To present the cookies a deeper molasses-like taste and chewy texture, I exploit darkish brown sugar. However gentle brown sugar will even work. You may as well use cane sugar or coconut sugar rather than the brown sugar and even monk fruit to make the cookies even decrease in sugar.
Milk: I add slightly full-fat milk to assist in giving the cookies extra richness and moisture, however you need to use lower-fat or plant-based milk in case you choose.
Entire Wheat Flour: To make my recipe slightly more healthy and add some further fiber, I like to make use of entire wheat flour. Nonetheless, all objective flour works too.
Baking Soda: This common leavening agent, provides my cookies rise and contributes to their good texture. If you happen to don’t have baking soda, you need to use 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 very best taste in all the substances.
Pecans: The pecans add a nutty taste and a yummy crunch. I exploit a mixture of chopped and entire nuts for a diverse texture. Be at liberty to substitute them with any nuts you want reminiscent of 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 happy to make use of any sort of dried fruit you want reminiscent of raisins, currants, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, and diced dried apricots. For a vacation really feel, you may 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 have to 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. You may as well use an electrical hand mixer or a big meals processor.
Add Moist Elements: As soon as creamed, I add the egg and milk to the sugar combination and beat once more till completely mixed.
Whisk Dry Elements: In a separate medium bowl, I whisk collectively the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Mix Moist And Dry Elements: 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 shaped, I stir within the pecans and dried cherries.
Portion Dough: I exploit a small cookie scoop to portion out the tender dough onto a plate or sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Then I switch the cookie balls to the fridge to relax for 1 hour.
Bake: When prepared, I preheat my oven to 400 levels Fahrenheit (200 levels Celcius). Subsequent, I organize 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 relax the dough for a full hour earlier than baking.
Belief me, this step makes all of the distinction! If you chill the dough, it provides 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 a very good cookie.
Different Suggestions To Hold In Thoughts:
- Room Temperature Elements: I at all times begin with room temperature butter, eggs, and milk, which helps the dough mix collectively extra easily. Chilly butter doesn’t cream as nicely 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, nevertheless 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 adore it. This helpful device helps me make all my cookies the identical measurement, so that they bake evenly.
- Crispier Cookies: If you happen to choose crispy cookies, simply bake them a bit longer. As an alternative of pulling them out at 8-10 minutes, depart them in for nearer to 12 minutes. Simply you should definitely regulate them so that they don’t overbake.
- Use Unsweetened Dried Fruit: When selecting dried fruit, I at all times 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’d like an excellent candy cookie then sweetened dried fruit will even work.
📖 Variations
Dried Fruit Oatmeal Cookies: Begin with an oatmeal cookie base made with old style 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!
Blended Fruit Cookies: Flip this right into a combined dried fruit cookies recipe. I simply used dried cherries on this model, however you need to use 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 strive utilizing a 1/2 teaspoon of fragrant vanilla extract or nutty almond extract. I add it to the dough with the milk. You may as well add slightly maple syrup rather than 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 nicely 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: Attempt utilizing a path combine rather than the nuts and cherries to make home made 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 combined with 2.5 tablespoons of water) rather than the egg, and any dairy-free milk as a substitute of cow’s milk.
Gluten-Free: For gluten free cookies, all you need to do is use an all-purpose gluten free flour mix. I like to recommend utilizing one which accommodates xanthan gum for the very best texture. Gluten free oat flour can also be an alternative choice.
🍽 Serving Solutions
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 good with sizzling drinks like my oat milk hot chocolate, lavender latte, and oatmilk honey latte. Across the holidays, you may’t go unsuitable 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 nice cream, chocolate banana ice cream, mango nice 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 get together, strive including these cookies to a variety with another favorites like my powdered peanut butter cookies, black sesame cookies, and no bake cookies without 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, they usually maintain nicely for as much as 3 months. Once 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 at any time when I need!
- Methodology 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. Once 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.
- Methodology 2: I scoop the dough into balls as directed within the recipe, freeze them on a tray till strong, then switch them to a freezer-safe bag. Once I’m able to bake, I place the frozen dough balls straight on a baking sheet and bake, including 2-3 further minutes to the baking time.
❓Recipe FAQs
I do know my cookies are completed when the perimeters are evenly golden and set, whereas the facilities nonetheless look slightly tender. 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 prone to find yourself over baked.
Arduous cookies are often 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 perimeters flip golden. Moreover, if the dough feels dry earlier than baking, strive including slightly extra milk.
Completely! You need to use dehydrated fruit similar to common dried fruit. Merely add it to the dough as directed, no want for any further steps.
For my recipe, soaking the cherries isn’t obligatory. Nonetheless, in case your dried fruit feels further dry or robust, soaking it will possibly 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 (Gentle, Chewy, Simple!)
My chewy dried fruit cookies strike the right stability between healthful and scrumptious. If you happen to’re like me, you’re keen on indulgent treats which might be nonetheless slightly more healthy and tremendous straightforward to make. My recipe is precisely that – with half the quantity of sugar and entire wheat flour, and that includes tart, dried cherries, and crunchy pecans. It is good for anybody who loves a fruity dessert that is splendid for the entire household and nice for the vacations too!
Servings: 16 cookies
Energy: 199kcal
Shop Ingredients 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 implies you’ll wish 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. Which means that when the cookies are baking, it’ll take longer for the chilled fats to soften than room temperature fats which can assist maintain the Christmas fruit cookies from spreading an excessive amount of once they bake.
- For Crispier Cookies: If you happen to choose 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 rather than the butter, a flax egg rather than the egg, and your selection of dairy free milk rather than 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
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