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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Cookies

    This site contains affiliate links to various websites, including Amazon.com. read more

    Chocolate Dipped Fruitcake Shortbread for the Holidays

    Published: Dec 4, 2014 Β· Modified: Jan 2, 2025 by Audrey Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    These light and crunchy cookies are studded with candied citrus peel, then dunked in a little chocolate for extra goodness.

    Instead of using fruitcake mix in a traditional dense cake, try using it in some crunchy shortbread instead. And to make them even better, dip them in chocolate.

    christmas cookies on a plate

    I know not everyone likes fruitcake. Most of them have never tried my mother-in-laws recipe or they would love it. I know I certainly do.

    But, if you are a fruitcake hater and dismiss that fruitcake mix sitting in the grocery aisle, you might want to give these cookies a try.

    These cookies take the brightly colored citrus peel, pineapple and cherries in fruitcake mix and put them in a crispy vanilla laden shortbread cookie. The result is an amazing combination, especially when dipped in chocolate.

    Ingredients for Fruitcake Shortbread

    The ingredients are fairly basic baking fare:

    • all purpose flour
    • powdered sugar
    • shortening
    • salt
    • vanilla
    • fruitcake mix (this is my favorite)
    • chocolate melting wafers (this is my favorite)

    Made without the chocolate, these are dairy free and vegan.

    Christmas Cookies Week

    Jolene from Jolene's Recipe Journal loves Christmas Cookies as much as I do. She has gathered up a fabulous group of bloggers to celebrate Christmas Cookies Week.

  • Nutmeg Cookies with Rum Icing by Jolene's Recipe Journal
  • Classic No Bake Cookies by Blogghetti
  • Nutella Cookies by Magical Ingredients
  • Peanut Butter Frosted Jammy Bits Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
  • Pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Cookies) by Art of Natural Living
  • Peppermint Stick Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
  • christmas cookies on a plate

    Recipe

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 ΒΎ cups all purpose flour
    • 3 Β½ cups powdered sugar
    • 2 ΒΌ teaspoons salt
    • 3 cups shortening
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • 1 Β½ cup fruitcake mix (chopped)
    • 1 cup chocolate melting wafers

    Instructions
     

    • In a large bowl, sift flour, powdered sugar and salt. Add shortening, vanilla and citrus peel and mix at low speed until blended. 
    • Roll dough into 2 inch cylinders and chill for an hour or more.
    • Preheat oven to 350℉. Slice dough in ΒΌ - Β½" slices and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough just sets, but cookies have not yet started to turn brown.
    • Remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks.
    • Melt chocolate dipping wafers as per package directions and dip one end of each cookie. Place on parchment paper until set.

    Sound fabulous? Share it!

    170 shares

    More Christmas Cookies

    tablet with Christmas Cookie book and text overlay "bake the season bright 50+ Christmas Cookie recipes to bake share and enjoy"
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    Until next time, happy eating.
    ~Audrey

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kris ~ Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies

      December 04, 2014 at 10:05 am

      These sound so tasty! I wish I could reach through the picture and grab one to try!

      Reply
    2. Laura@Baking in Pyjamas

      December 04, 2014 at 12:39 pm

      These sound brilliant for any kind of dried fruits to be chopped into, love the addition of dipping them in chocolate.

      Reply
    3. Ida P. Krause

      December 04, 2014 at 12:41 pm

      You crack me up. How funny that you ate the pineapple/cherries from the fruitcake mix. These look so pretty and festive and what a great tip about using dental floss to cut the dough.

      Reply
    4. Heather @ Join Us, Pull up a Chair

      December 04, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      These look really good and so unique using citrus peels!

      Reply
    5. Dawn ~ Spatulas On Parade

      December 06, 2014 at 6:31 pm

      YUM my only question is HOW many cookies did this make?

      Reply
    6. Jen @ The Evolution of Mom

      December 07, 2014 at 5:33 pm

      The citrus peel cookies look so yummy! I'm going to definitely have to try these! Thanks for stopping by our Momma Told Me Link Party!

      ~Jen

      Reply
    7. Saundra @ Famished Fish

      December 07, 2014 at 10:11 pm

      Oooh, these look delicious! And I love the Santa plate!

      Reply
    8. Cathy

      December 08, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      Oh these look great! Love that they are chocolate dipped! All month long I am featuring different holiday cookie creations for my cookie countdown to Christmas! I would love it if you stopped by to check it out! πŸ™‚
      Cathy

      Reply
    9. Judy

      December 09, 2014 at 9:14 am

      Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST The Midnight Baker ! I hope to see you there!
      Judy@ http://www.bakeatmidnite.com

      Reply
    10. jess

      December 09, 2014 at 5:17 pm

      these sound absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    11. Jen @ The Halfway Homemaker

      December 10, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      These look delicious, I love chocolate and citrus! Thanks for sharing with Tasty Tuesdays!

      Reply
    12. Mums Take Five

      December 10, 2014 at 11:22 pm

      i havent thought to put fruit mix into cookies but then i havent seen one that looks like that either! you're right it looks really good! have pinned. Thank you for sharing with us for Sunday Brunch x

      Reply
    13. Lou Lou Girls

      December 13, 2014 at 4:41 pm

      I'm totally in love with this! Yummy! Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you being a part of our party, and I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. We love partying with you!
      Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

      Reply
    14. Amy@HomeRemedies

      December 15, 2014 at 8:15 pm

      Yum and yum! These cookies look delicious! So delicious that I'm featuring them tomorrow at the Talented Tuesday Link Party! Thanks so much for sharing - don't forget to stop by and pick up your "I've been featured" button!

      Reply
      • Audrey

        December 16, 2014 at 7:27 am

        Oh thanks! I thought they were delicious, but I love citrus peel in lots of different things.

    15. Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck

      December 05, 2024 at 2:10 pm

      This is a fruitcake that no one can say no to. Sounds amazing...and it's a perfect treat for the holidays!

      Reply

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    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome, I'm Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home dΓ©cor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

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