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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Sweet, chewy, and easy to make, this classic cookie will be the star of classroom holiday parties! Try these old-fashioned butter cookies studded with chewy candy.
If you don’t enjoy chewy cookies, try these Peanut Butter Blossom Hershey Kiss Cookies or some Ginger Cookies. For more gumdrop goodness, make a Gumdrop Cake, or for a buttery cookie without the candy make some Shortbread Bites.
Reader Review
I have made these cookies the last two years for Christmas and they have always turned out perfectly delicious. Better get my gumdrops before I can’t find them.
Thanks for sharing this simple recipe.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is a very easy recipe, perfect for getting kids involved.
- Total Time: Making these cookies will take you approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes from start to finish.
- Variations: Why not try mixing in a handful of your favourite chocolate chips, or experimenting with different types of jujube candies? Maybe you’d prefer candied fruit to actual candy. Cherries, in particular, would be lovely in these cookies.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need two large cookie sheets, some parchment paper, a whisk, a medium bowl, a stand mixer or large bowl and hand mixer
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Butter: This recipe won’t work the same way with a butter substitute, so try to stick to good quality unsalted butter.
Gumdrops: My personal favourite for these cookies is Nutty Club Baking Fruitlets, so try those if you can find them. Otherwise, use whatever you like best. Just make sure they aren’t stale or too hard.
Almond Extract: This will give a slightly nutty flavour to go along with all of that butter. If you haven’t got any almond extract or don’t like it, you can use vanilla instead. You could also try coconut extract if you have some around.
How To Make Gumdrop Cookies
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Whisk dry ingredients together in medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar on high speed for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until fully mixed. Add almond extract.
- With the mixer at low speed, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir in gumdrops.
- Put dough in fridge to chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough on to the lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes and then let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from pans to cool on racks.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Gumdrop Cookies
About the Butter: Chilling the dough for one hour before baking these cookies should keep them from spreading too much. However, if you don’t want to take the time to chill the dough, or you’re finding that your cookies spread too much, you can reduce the amount of butter to a 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup. You could also try higher quality butter if that’s in your budget.
Gumdrops: If you’d like the gumdrops to be slightly less chewy (or if they’re a bit on the harder side) you can soak them in some warm water for a few minutes. Drain them and pat them dry before adding them to the cookie dough. Another option would be to use a softer gummy candy, or even some candied cherries instead.
Storage Instructions
Store these cookies between layers of parchment or wax paper in a lidded container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
More Delicious Christmas Cookie Recipes
There is no shortage of easy and tasty cookie recipes for you to try out this holiday season.
Make a batch of classic Whipped Shortbread or a pan of Cherry Sugar Cookies.
Try making some Ginger Cream Christmas Cookies for something a bit different, or a Classic Snickerdoodle Recipe.
There you have it, folks. Another yummy cookie recipe that’s perfect for the holidays. Try it and let me know what you think.
Happy Baking!
Love,
Karlynn
Gumdrop Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter, SEE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup chopped fruit-flavoured gumdrops or mini gumdrops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat in completely. Add in the almond extract, then mix until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Stir in the gumdrops. Refrigerate the dough for an hour before baking.
- Drop Tablespoon size balls onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes
- Cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from baking sheets. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store in a lidded container in layers, with parchment or waxed paper between each layer at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lynn LeMesurier says
I have made these cookies the last two years gir Christmas and they have always turned out perfectly delicious. Better get my gumdrops before I can’t find them.
Thanks for sharing this simple recipe.
Mark says
These were great! All of the complaints about dry or crumbly batter are probably due to the way they’re measuring out flour. Likely these people are the type who use their measuring cup to dig out a cup of flour from their bin of highly compacted flour, and then push the flour down to even it out. OK, maybe not that extreme, but that method can lead to as much as 1/3 more than the correct amount. Spoon loose flour (pre-sift flour if need be) into your measuring cup, and use the back of a knife to brush off the overflow, and make it an even cup. OR, even better, don’t measure by volume, and do weight instead. One cup flour = 120g. This recipe calls for 1 3/4C of flour, which is 210g.
Sharon says
Made these a looong time ago. My aunt refused to even try them. Said she didn’t like fruit cake. Tried to convince her that they were gumdrops. But didn’t believe me. 😄
Jenny says
the first time I made these they were wonderful! chewy and addicting. but the second time the dough had a short crust texture. any idea what I did wrong?
nancy kennedy says
was easy enough to do.
i forgot, most recipes with sugar you can decrease the amount of sugar required.
my mixer is 30 years old.still accomodating.
Barbara says
I have an older version of this recipe. It uses 1 tsp of cinnamon, calls for sifted flour, Crisco shortening and actual spice -ette gum drops- not dots gummy candy. Also the dough is formed into a roll and can be frozen to slice and bake later. Mine are not so hard to eat. Alot of people will balk at the spice flavored gumdrops but they are really good in these cookies with the cinnamon. You can change the shortening to butter but I would not recommend it because butter melts faster and the texture of the cookies is ruined.
Nakia says
Can I get your recipe
B says
Dough was extremely crumbly. Added another egg and it solved the problem. Not a fan of almond flavor, so just used vanilla extract. They baked up well and look fantastic! Thanks!
Kati V says
I made these last year and loved them; went back to make them this year and used butter flavored shorting (the only thing I did different this year vs last year) and they were hard and crumbly. I’ll try again because everyone loved them last year was disappointed they were so hard and dough was very crumbly
M Wilson says
They are awful. Hard as a rock. Something is definitely missing from this recipe 🤮 Into the garbage they go
Chelsea says
PERFECT! thank you 🙂 wish I could share a pic, they are so pretty 🤩
Lorna says
Made these this afternoon. Disappointed! The cookies ran, and the gumdrops melted out of the cookie and on the pan. Hardly any gumdrop flavor because they melted out!
S says
Not much flavor and cookies completely flattened.
Tami says
these are so fun! made em with the baking fruitlets and they turned out fine.
i adjusted the baking times to 4 minutes on convection, or 7 if baking from bottom only.
otherwise yeah, the gumdrops will melt out.
thanks Karlynn, one bite and it brought back memories!
Colette says
The butter ran while cooking. The parameter was real crispy and difficult to remove from sheet. Most broke.
Gail says
These are incredibly DELICIOUS – buy your gumdrops at Bulk Barn early in the Christmas season as they tend to sell out.
Cathy says
My batter is very dry and cannot drop them on a cookie sheet. What do I do
B says
Adding another egg worked for me!
Marsha says
I haven’t had these since I was a kid! My moms old recipe notebook has these in it. Might just have to give these a go. Thanks for the memory!
Kim E. says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!! I lost my best friend almost exactly two years ago and miss her terribly. We had been best friends since grade 2. I’m now 46. Gumdrop cookies were her specialty and she would make them for me at all times of the year as a surprise! I was missing her a bit more than usual when I serendipitously came across your recipe. I’m going to make some as a little tribute this afternoon.
Alecia Allred says
These look great!! I am fairly new to your site. I have really enjoyed everything i have tried so far. Where does the remaining 1/4 c sugar go? Thank you again and Merry Christmas!!
Karlynn says
It all goes in together, I’ve updated the recipe but it’s taking its time showing. All the sugar gets beaten in! I was going to do another technique and skipped it and forgot to change it!
Janet says
This is my first time making gumdrop cookies. I rolled the into balls to put on my sheet. I just pulled them out of the oven and they are looking fantastic
Gail Gross says
Where is the remaining 1/4c of sugar used?