Gumdrop Cookies are my favorite Christmas cookie! I pass up all the others I bake and go for these every. single. time. These cookies are my dad’s favorite as well. In fact, when I mentioned my Christmas baking last week, he asked if I made these. Well, of course, I did! These freeze well too so I bake them ahead of time.
A friend of mine from our days living in Alaska shared this recipe with me about 25 years ago. They were her dad’s favorite as well. I have changed the recipe up a bit over the years and have figured out a trick to chopping gumdrops which was so time consuming. That trick only took me 20 years to figure out!!!
Truly, there is nothing that makes these “Christmas” cookies, other than I use the spice gumdrops which may or may not be seasonal??? I’m not sure! I never actually buy gumdrops except for when I bake these cookies. Everyone seems to have a favorite cookie in the family so I bake all different types as you have witnessed on my blog. But today, I am being self indulgent and blogging about MY favorite cookie.
For years, chopping the gumdrops were the bane of my existence. Not going to lie, it would take me an hour or more which is why I only baked these at Christmas. Have you ever tried chopping gumdrops, it’s a mess! So about 5 years ago, I had an epiphany. I froze the gumdrops, placed them into a ziploc bag and just banged the heck out of them with a meat tenderizer. Honestly, why did that take me 20 years to figure out??? If the gumdrop makers would just make a mini size of these, life would be a lot easier!
You can substitute butter for shortening in this cookie recipe or any cookie recipe. However, if you want a softer/chewier cookie, shortening is better for that. Butter makes cookies crispier. So go with whatever option you prefer. For these, I like the chewy. It just works with the gumdrops.
So, if you are a fan of gumdrops, you will love these cookies. Did I mention they were my favorite?
I didn’t take pictures of the process but it’s a fairly straight forward cookie recipe.
As always, comment with questions or let me know how you like the cookies if you try them!
Gumdrop Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 10 oz bags spiced gumdrops (or regular) chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
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Freeze gumdrops until ready to use. Pour one and a half bags of frozen gumdrops into a gallon size resealable bag (reserve about 24-30 gumdrops for later). Using a meat tenderizer, bang gumdrops into smaller pieces. Place the smashed gumdrops into a bowl and add 1/4 cup flour and mix well to break up gumdrops so they are not sticking together. Mix in the chopped pecans, oatmeal and coconut to the gumdrops and set aside.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the 1 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar/shortening/egg mixture and mix until well combined.
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Turn mixer to low and slowly add the gumdrop/oatmeal/coconut/pecan mixture and mix until well blended.
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Cut the remaining gumdrops in half. Using a small or medium cookie scoop, drop onto cookie sheet. Press a half gumdrop on each cookie. Bake 12-14 minutes until slightly golden.
Recipe Notes
Place the gumdrops in the freezer when you get home from grocery store.
If using a small cookie scoop, makes about 60 cookies. A medium scoop makes about 48 cookies.
You can substitute butter for shortening. However, shortening will make the cookies chewier rather than crisper.
Nice recipe to share with the world. We have enjoyed this cookie for many years and every year I try to figure out how to cut those gum drops easier. This next Christmas I will try your method. I brush canned milk on top each cookie just before baking. 😋
Hi Gloria! This recipe has been a family holiday favorite for many years. And yes, the gumdrop cutting was the worst part. Definitely try freezing and smashing. I truly think it’s the way to go! Let me know how it works for you.