Fruitcake Cookies with Rum Glaze

Just like the Christmas classic fruitcake, these Fruitcake Cookies with Rum Glaze are studded with sweet dried and candied fruits, delicious pecans, and the topped with a rum glaze. They disappeared quicker than I imagined!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored on behalf of #ChristmasCookies. Our generous sponsors have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

Side view of fruitcake cookies with rum glaze on a white plate, set on a red napkin on a black background. Bag of pecans peeking out in the upper right corner

Welcome back to another day of #ChristmasCookies week. This is always such a fun week where I bookmark more cookies than I could ever get to. But it’s great inspiration for the holiday season. We won’t be hosting our annual holiday party this year, but I plan on indulging in some holiday baking and sharing with coworkers and friends. 

Don’t forget, you can check out our holiday baking by following the #ChristmasCookies Pinterest board or searching the hashtag on social media. As usual, there’s a giveaway. Prizes and Rafflecopter to enter are below the recipe, so SCROLL DOWN!

And be sure to check out today’s recipes below: 

Overhead view of 3 fruitcake cookies with rum glaze on a white plate with a silver and red Christmas tree on the right.

Confession: I’ve never actually had fruitcake, despite associating the dessert with Christmas. To be honest, I never thought that fruitcake had a particularly good reputation, so this batch of cookies was a bit of an experiment for me. And with the bad luck that I have been having in the kitchen lately, I was nervous… 

Truth is? These cookies were a total hit with my husband, my neighbors and my coworkers. My neighbor and her daughter demolished the plate before her husband could get ahold of them. We made more damage to the plate I left at home than I care to admit. I personally liked the bites of sweet fruit and crunchy pecans. I suspect that my husband liked the rum glaze best. Either way, with the feedback I received, this is a recipe we’ll be making again and again!

Overhead view of fruitcake cookies with rum glaze. Cookies sitting on a white plate. Plate of cookies and bag of pecans are sitting on a red napkin and a black background

Recipe Notes:

  • Ingredients: I used chopped pecans from our sponsor, Millican Pecan, in this recipe. I also used dried cranberries instead of dried cherries, as I usually have dried cranberries in my pantry. If Christmas baking ingredients aren’t out yet, you might have trouble finding some of the dried or candied fruit. I had good luck with my local organic grocery store and Amazon. 
  • Glaze: The original recipe called for double the amount of glaze than I have written up here. The below was just enough for a good amount of drizzle for each cookie. 
  • Baking Sheets: I used the baking sheets from our sponsor, Anolon, in this recipe. These baking sheets are like a dream, and I don’t usually need to line with parchment paper or silpat for baking. For my other baking sheets, lining is necessary. You’ll see this reflected in the directions below. 

Side view of fruitcake cookies and glaze drippings on a baking sheet

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Side view of fruitcake cookies and glaze drippings on a baking sheet

Fruitcake Cookies with Rum Glaze

Just like the Christmas classic fruitcake, these Fruitcake Cookies with Rum Glaze are studded with sweet dried and candied fruits, delicious pecans, and the topped with a rum glaze. They disappeared quicker than I imagined!

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Author Liz

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Cookies:

  • 1 c. golden raisins
  • 3/4 c. dried cherries or cranberries
  • 3/4 c. water
  • 1/4 c. rum or additional water
  • 1/2 c. dried pineapple
  • 3/4 c. chopped pecans
  • 1/3 c. chopped crystallized ginger
  • 1/3 c. diced candied orange peel
  • 1 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 c. sugar divided
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 Tbs. rum or 1 1/2 tsp. rum extract
  • 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the Glaze:

  • 1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
  • 2 Tbs. rum
  • 2-3 Tbs. milk

Instructions

Prep the Fruit & Nuts:

  1. Stir together golden raisins, cherries or cranberries, water and 1/4 c. rum in a small sauce pan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. There will be just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

  2. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in dried pineapple, pecans, ginger and orange peel.

Make the Cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Set out two baking sheets. If using Anolon baking sheets, no need to line. If not, line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat and set aside.

  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment set to medium speed, cream butter and 1 1/2 c. sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in eggs and rum. Scrape down sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Again, scrape down sides of the bowl to ensure that the dry ingredients are completely mixed in. Finally, add fruit mixture and combine on low speed. If the mixer is struggling, switch to a wooden spoon and stir in.

  3. Place remaining 1/2 c. sugar in a small bowl or on a shallow plate. Use a 1 1/2 Tbs. ice cream scoop to portion out dough. Roll each ball in your palms to make a round ball, and then roll in sugar. Place on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

  4. Bake in preheated oven for 11-13 minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes on a baking sheet before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze the Cookies:

  1. When cookies are completely cooled, make the rum glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, rum, and 2 Tbs. of milk. Glaze should be thin enough so that when you pick up the whisk, the glaze falls from the whisk. If it doesn't fall off, whisk in additional milk - 1/2 Tbs. at a time - until it does.

  2. Use the whisk or a spoon to drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Allow glazed cookies to sit for another 5-10 minutes, for the glaze to set. Cookies will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 4 days.

Recipe Notes

Recipe makes 4-5 dozen cookies. 

This recipe was adapted from Taste of Home.

Christmas Cookies Week Giveaway

Welcome to #ChristmasCookies week where more than 25 bloggers are sharing cookie recipes perfect for your holiday celebrations. Hosted by Ellen from Family Around the Table, Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures and Heather from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks, we invite you to not only check out the recipes but enter the amazing giveaway.

Don’t miss one delicious cookie recipe! Follow along on Pinterest.

Prize 1: Tower of Treats from Millican Pecan Company

Assorted Pecan goodies in a tin.

Originally founded as the West Texas Pecan Nursery in the late 1800’s, Millican Pecan is now in 5th generation ownership. Located in San Saba, TX, the family continues the tradition of pecan farming while also branching the business into the online world. The family also enjoys educating people about pecans. One winner will receive The Tower of Treats Gift Tins. The tower includes 3 decorative gift tins stacked on top of each other. The bottom tin includes our 2 lb. Chocolate Pecan Sampler, the middle tin is our Flavored Pecan Sampler and the top tin is an 8 oz. tin of Milk Chocolate Caramillicans (similar to Turtles). An $80 value.

Prize 2: An Assortment of Flavored Extracts from Adams Extract and Spices

Adams Extract Logo

 In January 2013, Adams, one of the oldest continuously operated companies in Texas and one of oldest spice and extract companies in the United States, celebrated its 125th birthday and was awarded the Texas Treasure Business Award, an award sponsored by State Bill 920 that recognizes the accomplishments of Texas businesses that have provided employment opportunities and support to the state’s economy for at least 50 years and pays tribute to the state’s well-established businesses and their exceptional historical contributions toward the state’s economic growth and prosperity.

Today, Adams proudly manufactures and markets under several Adams Brand banners, including Adams Best®, Adams Extract®, Adams® Seasoning & Spice, Adams Reserve®, Flavor King™, Pantry Basics™, Sear-n-Crust®, ClearVan™, Carniceria®, Cocina del Rey®, Naturals™, and Urban Canner™ along with the Adams Frozen Skillet Desserts and Adams Premium Ice Cream lines. In addition, Adams is proud to manufacture for some of the nations most respected Private Label Brands as well as other legacy Regional Seasoning Brands and is used to flavor many commercially produced food products around the nation.

Prize 3: A Set of Baking Pans from Anolon

Baking pans

Established in the 1950’s, Meyer Manufacturing started by making and selling flashlights. In 1971 they started their journey into selling cookware. By 1986 they released the world’s first hard-anodized nonstick cookware which revolutionized the world of home cooking. Their nonstick surface didn’t flake or scratch easily.

Today they sell bakeware with nonstick interior and exterior made with a special sapphire-reinforced blend that is triple coated. NOTE: Color may vary from the photo above.

Prize 4: An Assorted Baking Box from Sweets & Treats

Sweets & Treats Logo

Make Sweets & Treats your one-stop shop for all your holiday sprinkle needs. In addition to fun, festive and colorful sprinkles, Sweets & Treats offers cupcake liners, edible glitters, sugars, and more.

Founded in 2010 by Shannon Harvey out of an industry need for bold, bright cupcake liners and baking supplies that are the life of the party! Based in Louisiana, Sweets & Treats is a designer cupcake liner manufacturer and party supply company that creates exclusive greaseproof cupcake liners, sprinkles, sprinkle mixes, paper straws, and other baking supplies. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just like the Christmas classic fruitcake, these Fruitcake Cookies with Rum Glaze are studded with sweet dried and candied fruits, delicious pecans, and the topped with a rum glaze. They disappeared quicker than I imagined! #ChristmasCookies

Disclaimer: Four (4) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #ChristmasCookies bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway open to US Residents only who are 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #ChristmasCookies posts or entry.

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