29 Fruity Holiday Cookies That Are Sure To Be a Hit

When it comes to holiday cookies there is no shortage of options. You can indulge in chocolate cookies or ones that are loaded with nuts and spices. You whip up a quick and easy cookie recipe or go all-out with festive decorating ideas. And do you know what? Every one of those options is wonderfully delicious. But, if you ask us, it’s just not the holidays until a fruitcake-inspired treat takes center stage. That’s why we love these sweet treats. They’re loaded with jams, jellies and dried fruit for the sweet flavor that makes fruitcake a holiday tradition—but without the overly dense texture that gives fruitcake its bad reputation. Every cookie recipe in this roundup is a winner but we can’t help but make a batch of Sunny’s dressed–up peanut butter thumbprints. She rolls them in sparkly sugar and finishes them with a dot of strawberry jam for a treat that no one can say ‘no’ to!

Thumbprint cookies just got a lot easier with this bake and slice version. Instead of pressing divots into multiple mounds of cookie dough and filling each with jam, we shaped the dough into a log with a trough and flooded the center in one go. We used raspberry and apricot jam, but it's easy to swap out for whatever you have on hand. Once the cookie logs are baked, let them cool and then slice into strips.

These Cranberry Lemon Cookies are bright, chewy treats bursting with tart dried cranberries and zesty lemon—ideal for adding a fruity twist to your holiday cookie tray.

Trisha has a cookie party with her friends every Christmas. "Everybody shows up with their favorite recipe, we bake all day, then everybody goes home with a delicious variety of holiday cookies. My sister Beth adapted this recipe from her church cookbook. I like to chop the cranberries and nuts finely so you get lots of flavor in every bite."

A spiced apple filling tops these buttery cookies, packing all the flavor of an apple pie into a single bite—for a fraction of the work!

Tart dried cherries and toasted almonds take a sweet turn in Giada’s easy slice-and-bake holiday cookies.

Scandinavia is known for all kinds of cookies, mostly flavored with anise or lemon. The flavor we found most compelling in cookies from all over Scandinavia, however, was brown butter — it's nutty, rich and delicious, and pairs perfectly with a tart fruit jam. These cookies get their elegant shape from the teaspoons used to form them.

Teatime or playtime, these old-time Butter and Jam Thumbprints are always a holiday favorite.

Crisp, sweet and nutty, Anne's Italian biscotti make great homemade gifts or after-dinner nibbles.

Jeff's sandwich cookie is inspired by a cookie his wife, Sarah, makes for their family. And since he turns everything into a sandwich, Sarah's cookies are stacked and filled with almond butter filling in this version.

Melissa decks out classic holiday shortbread cookies with a fruity topping.

Ina Garten’s Mini Linzer Cookies are buttery, jam-filled bites with a festive dusting of powdered sugar.

These chocolate cookies get fruity flair from a creamy orange filling. Zest and juice from both oranges and lemons gives the decadent chocolate layer a tangy edge.

Sunny's bar cookies are a quick version of holiday fruit cake.

These rich butter cookies with a creamy citrus glaze are inspired by the beloved morir soñando, the Dominican drink sometimes compared to a Creamsicle. The drink’s name translates to “to die dreaming,” and each blissful bite of these cookies offers a tropical burst of orange balanced by creamy sweetness, a refreshing combination any time of year. We chose a star shape for the cookies to highlight the Latin American holiday Día de Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, but you can use any shape you’d like, holiday-themed or not.

A quick and easy date “caramel” spiced with cinnamon and cardamom is the base for these golden rugelach. We use almond milk to highlight the flavor of the ground almonds in the filling, but you can use any milk you like – dairy-free or otherwise. Both the dough and filling can be made ahead – you can even form the logs and freeze them, letting the dough defrost in the refrigerator before slicing and baking. Once baked, the rugelach will keep in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days, making them a great choice for holiday baking.