Dried Fruit Cookies (Mushy, Chewy, Simple!)

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My chewy dried fruit cookies strike the right steadiness between healthful and scrumptious. For those who’re like me, you’re keen on indulgent treats which might be nonetheless just a little more healthy and tremendous simple to make. My recipe is strictly that – with half the quantity of sugar and entire wheat flour, and that includes tart, dried cherries, and crunchy pecans. It’s excellent for anybody who loves a fruity dessert that’s best 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 a substitute of a dense, aged cake crammed with synthetic colours, I’ve taken all the perfect elements of the basic vacation recipe and gave it a cookie makeover that’s smooth, 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, make sure to try my cranberry oat cookies and for extra cookie inspiration, strive one in all my 40 simple vegan cookie recipes!

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🥘 Substances

My dried fruit cookies recipe calls for easy elements that you would be able to simply discover at your native grocery retailer! Every one performs a key function in making certain 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 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 provide the cookies a deeper molasses-like taste and chewy texture, I exploit darkish brown sugar. However mild brown sugar can even work. It’s also possible to 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 just a little full-fat milk to assist in giving the cookies extra richness and moisture, however you should use lower-fat or plant-based milk when you choose. 

Complete Wheat Flour: To make my recipe just a little more healthy and add some additional fiber, I like to make use of entire wheat flour. Nevertheless, all goal flour works too.

Baking Soda: This widespread leavening agent, offers my cookies rise and contributes to their excellent texture. For those who don’t have baking soda, you should 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 convey out the perfect taste in all the elements.

Pecans: The pecans add a nutty taste and a yummy crunch. I exploit a mixture of chopped and entire nuts for a assorted texture. Be happy to substitute them with any nuts you want similar to macadamia nuts, walnuts, or almonds.

Unsweetened Dried Cherries: I combine in some dried cherries to provide the cookies their fruitcake-like look. and so as to add some basic cherry taste. Nevertheless, be at liberty to make use of any sort of dried fruit you want similar to raisins, currants, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, and diced dried apricots. For a vacation really feel, you’ll be able to add some candied inexperienced cherries.

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Dried Fruit Cookies

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 should 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 pace for about 2 minutes till mild 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 exploit a small cookie scoop to portion out the smooth 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.

📖 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!

Combined Fruit Cookies: Flip this right into a blended dried fruit cookies recipe. I simply used dried cherries on this model, however you should use any mixture of fruits you want. You may even omit the pecans and sub with extra fruit. Suppose 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. It’s also possible to add just a little 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 one in all 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.

High 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 rather than 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 normal butter, a flax egg (1 tablespoon of floor flaxseed blended 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 must do is use an all-purpose gluten free flour mix. I like to recommend utilizing one which incorporates xanthan gum for the perfect texture. Gluten free oat flour can be another choice. 

🍽 Serving Ideas

You may 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 here 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’ll be able to’t go incorrect with serving them as festive Christmas cookies with some eggnog or a easy glass of normal 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: For those who’re having a household gathering or celebration, strive 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 couple of 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 effectively for as much as 3 months. After I’m able to get pleasure from them, I simply let the cookies thaw at room temperature for about half-hour.

Freezing The Dough: I like freezing the dough to have cookies prepared every time 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. 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 common.
• 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. After I’m able to bake, I place the frozen dough balls straight on a baking sheet and bake, including 2-3 additional minutes to the baking time.

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