Traditionally made during Christmas baking at our house, Rita’s Fruit Drops is the one recipe that I end up making several times in December. These cookies are so good that they just keep disappearing.
Rita’s Fruit Drops are a soft and chewy fruit packed cookie that get better the longer they age. They are usually filled with dates, glace cherries and raisins, but I have replaced the raisins with sweetened dried blueberries and/or cranberries.
Rita’s Fruit Drops
Print recipe| Serves | about 45 cookies |
| Inspiration | Grammy's Recipe |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quartered red glace cherries
- 1/4 cup quartered green glace cherries
- 3/4 cups chopped dates
- 3/4 cups raisins
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/4 Tsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tsp water
- 1 Large egg (beaten)
- 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
Directions
| Quarter the red and green cherries. Use scissors to cut the dates into pieces the size of peas. Add the cherries, dates and raisins to a bowl. Set aside. | |
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Mix the flour with the salt. Add 1/4 cup of the flour mixture to the fruit mixture and gently mix together, separating any fruit that is stuck together.  | |
| Measure the baking soda and water into a small bowl. Stir together well. | |
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Melt the butter in a microwave or on the stove top. Add to a large bowl and then cream the butter with the brown sugar, using an electric mixer. Add the soda in water and egg to the mixture and blend until creamy. Blend in the vanilla.  | |
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Stir in the remainder of the flour mixture..  | |
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Add the fruit which has been dusted with the flour mixture. Mix until well combined. Drop by teaspoon fulls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  | |
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Bake at 350 deg F for about 10 minutes or until just starting to brown. Remove to cool on parchment paper.  | |
| When cooled, place in a covered container. They are chewy soft and improve with age. | |