Fruitcake Balls

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2021

Gluten Free Living – 2021

Fruitcake Balls are awesome. Truly. These lovely cookies are made on the stove top and include pecans, coconut, fruitcake mix and Rice Krispies. They’re really delightful to eat and fairly simple to make. I’ve modeled them after my Coconut Date Balls and everyone has always loved those–even those who don’t eat dates!

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I get that a lot of people have had bad experiences with fruitcake when they were children. My neighbor tells me of how she was forced to eat it as a kid and won’t touch it these days. I’m not a big fruitcake lover myself. But the fruitcake mix is another story. I made three desserts this holiday season with fruitcake mix and everyone of them turned out spectacularly. No kidding.

Paradise Fruit Company sent me a box of all kinds of assorted candied fruits to use in recipes. I’ve been having a hay day enjoying creating new recipes for all that candied fruit. I ended up baking 14 different desserts using their fruit and I’m about half way through blogging about all those goodies. Fruitcake Balls are one of the ways I used their “Extra Fancy Fruitcake Mix.”

As I stated earlier, I LOVED how these little cookie balls turned out. They’re crunchy and utterly irresistible–especially if you enjoy candied cherries and pineapple, or candied fruit peels like lemon or orange peel. Truly, these treats are perfect for even the most elegant holiday party or gala. Try them and you’ll see what I mean.

Fruitcake Balls are awesome.

These cookies are perfect for holiday baking.

Fruitcake Balls are festive, beautiful, elegant and delicious!

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over low heat.

Add sugar, fruitcake mix and beaten egg.

Stir to combine and bring mixture to a slow boil. Press down fruitcake mix with a potato masher while cooking.

This was the fruit cake mix I used.

After mixture boils and softens (about 10 minutes) turn off heat. Add vanilla.

Add Rice Krispies and pecans. Check your Rice Krispies, avoid those with gluten or malt flavoring if you want to keep the recipe gluten free.

Stir ingredients well to combine. Allow mixture to cool somewhat so you can handle it with your hands.

Roll mixture into golf-ball sized balls, then roll balls in coconut and place on waxed-paper lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fruitcake Balls are gluten free if you use a Rice Krispies cereal that doesn’t have barley malt flavoring.

This delectable dessert is light and crunchy in texture.

Fruitcake Balls are marvelous treats for Christmas Cookie Exchanges and holiday or office parties.

Here’s the recipe.

FRUITCAKE BALLS

(My own concoction)

Fruitcake Balls

Teresa Ambra

Fruitcake Balls are outstanding. These delicious cookies are made on the stove top and are made with fruitcake mix, pecans, Rice Krispies and coconut. They're festive, elegant, beautiful and delicious enough to serve for any holiday party or gala. These irresistible cookies will change your mind about eating fruitcake! They're delightfully light and crunchy and sure to put a smile on your face. Gluten Free.

3 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Calories 126 kcal

Equipment

• 1 large skillet
• 1 wooden spoon
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• waxed paper
• 1 bowl
• 1 potato masher

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Paradise Extra Fancy fruitcake mix
• 1 cup pecans chopped (measure after chopping)
• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 cups rice krispies
• 1 cup coconut or as needed

Instructions

 

• Melt butter in skillet, add eggs, granulated sugar and fruitcake mix.
• Cook over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Slowly mash fruitcake pieces while cooking.
• Turn off heat.
• Add pecans, vanilla and Rice Krispies.
• While warm, roll and shape in small balls.
• Roll in coconut.
• Place on waxed paper.
• Keep hands moist while rolling.

Notes

NOTE: This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free Rice Krispies. But these are very hard to locate since most brands use malt or barley malt flavoring.

 

NOTE: It is helpful to keep the coconut dry while rolling the date balls into them. If you drip too much water from your hands into the coconut it will no longer adhere to the cookie mixture.

 

NOTE: You need to cook this mixture over low heat or the eggs will scramble!

 

Fruitcake Mix provided courtesy of Paradise Fruit Company.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 26mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 322IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cherries, cherry dessert, coconut, cookie, dessert, pecans, pineapple

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

These festive cookies are elegant enough to serve at any holiday party or gala.

If you enjoy fruitcake, you’ll love these Fruitcake Balls. Even people who despise fruitcake enjoy these delicious treats.

Come on! Have just one more. 🙂

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Fruitcake Cookies

Coconut Date Balls

Fruitcake Upside Down Cake

Fruitcake Balls

Teresa Ambra

Fruitcake Balls are outstanding. These delicious cookies are made on the stove top and are made with fruitcake mix, pecans, Rice Krispies and coconut. They’re festive, elegant, beautiful and delicious enough to serve for any holiday party or gala. These irresistible cookies will change your mind about eating fruitcake! They’re delightfully light and crunchy and sure to put a smile on your face. Gluten Free.

3 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Calories 126 kcal

Equipment

• 1 large skillet
• 1 wooden spoon
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• waxed paper
• 1 bowl
• 1 potato masher

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Paradise Extra Fancy fruitcake mix
• 1 cup pecans chopped (measure after chopping)
• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 cups rice krispies
• 1 cup coconut or as needed

Instructions

 

• Melt butter in skillet, add eggs, granulated sugar and fruitcake mix.
• Cook over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Slowly mash fruitcake pieces while cooking.
• Turn off heat.
• Add pecans, vanilla and Rice Krispies.
• While warm, roll and shape in small balls.
• Roll in coconut.
• Place on waxed paper.
• Keep hands moist while rolling.

Notes

NOTE: This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free Rice Krispies. But these are very hard to locate since most brands use malt or barley malt flavoring.

 

NOTE: It is helpful to keep the coconut dry while rolling the date balls into them. If you drip too much water from your hands into the coconut it will no longer adhere to the cookie mixture.

 

NOTE: You need to cook this mixture over low heat or the eggs will scramble!

 

Fruitcake Mix provided courtesy of Paradise Fruit Company.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 26mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 322IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cherries, cherry dessert, coconut, cookie, dessert, pecans, pineapple

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!