23 Fruity Holiday Cookies That Are Sure to Be a Hit
Even fruitcake naysayers will be asking for more of these deliciously sweet treats.
Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne
Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher
Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne
Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne
Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne
Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne
Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne
Chock-Full of Jam, Dried Fruit and More
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!
Get the Recipe: Sunny's Holiday PB and J Thumbprints
Fruitcake Cookies
Get the Recipe: Fruitcake Cookies
Bake and Slice Thumbprint Cookies
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.
Get the Recipe: Bake and Slice Thumbprint Cookies
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
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."
Get the Recipe: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Lusikkaleivat
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.
Get the Recipe: Spoon Cookies: Lusikkaleivat (Finland)
Polish Fruit and Nut Bars
Get the Recipe: Mazurkas (Poland)
Middle Eastern Date Cookies
Get the Recipe: Maamoul: Stuffed Date-Orange Cookies
Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti
Crisp, sweet and nutty, Anne's Italian biscotti make great homemade gifts or after-dinner nibbles.
Get the Recipe: Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti
Butter and Jam Thumbprints
Teatime or playtime, these old-time Butter and Jam Thumbprints are always a holiday favorite.
Get the Recipe: Butter and Jam Thumbprints
PB and J Blondie
Get the Recipe: PB and J Blondie
Cherry White Chocolate Almond Sandwich Cookies
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.
Get the Recipe: Cherry Almond White Chocolate Sandwiches
Linzer Star Sandwich Cookies
Get the Recipe: Linzer Star Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate-Dipped Pineapple-Coconut Macaroons
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Pineapple-Coconut Macaroons
Dried Cherry and Almond Cookies with Vanilla Icing
Tart dried cherries and toasted almonds take a sweet turn in Giada’s easy slice-and-bake holiday cookies.
Get the Recipe: Dried Cherry and Almond Cookies with Vanilla Icing
Christmas Citrus Squares
Get the Recipe: Christmas Citrus Squares
Cherry Pistachio Pinwheel Cookies
Get the Recipe: Cherry Pistachio Pinwheel Cookies
Fruit and Nut Shortbread
Melissa decks out classic holiday shortbread cookies with a fruity topping.
Get the Recipe: Fruit and Nut Holiday Shortbread
Coconut Cranberry Macaroons
Get the Recipe: Coconut-Cranberry Macaroon
Orange-Chocolate Bars
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.
Get the Recipe: Damaris' Orange-Chocolate Bars
Italian Spumoni Cookies ("Spumookies")
Get the Recipe: Italian Spumoni Cookies ("Spumookies")
Czech Squares
Get the Recipe: Czech Squares
Golden Rugalach
Get the Recipe: Golden Rugalach
Cherry Berry Bars
Sunny's bar cookies are a quick version of holiday fruit cake.
Get the Recipe: Cherry Berry Bars