How to make easy fruit cookies with (almost) any fruit
Bake the unofficial cookie of the summer.
Date
August 6, 2025
It’s my profound belief that summer should be free of stress and full of fruit. It’s an attitude I’ve tried to cultivate the past few months: lying on beaches, spending afternoons at the movies, and hitting the farmers market once (sometimes twice!) a week.
Naturally, that attitude has extended to my baking as well. Fussy layer cakes are on hold, breezy bars are in, like these Banana Bread Blondies, which I made two times last week alone, and these Raspberry Frangipane Bars from our Bake It Easy: Summer collection. But the recipe that best captures everything I’m looking for right now is this Pick-Your-Own Fruit Cookies recipe. Ready in an hour, bursting with just about any kind of fruit you have on hand, and scented with a hint of lemon, these soft, cake-like cookies need to be bumped up to the top of your summer baking bucket list.
Crucially, the method to make them is quite simple: Cream butter and sugar for a few minutes, then add an egg and the dry ingredients. Finally, fold in the fruit. The key here is to do so gently so that the fresh fruit doesn’t break down too much and stain the cookies a pastel color; you want vibrant tie-dyed streaks running through the dough.
Just before baking, roll the scoops of cookie dough in granulated sugar. (Take a cue from this recipe and add a small amount of salt to the sugar for a salty-sweet bite.) If the dough is too soft — especially likely in a hot summer kitchen — place it in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes before proceeding. Remember, we’re keeping things stress-free.
A simple tip for a sharper cookie
Just because a cookie is easy to make doesn’t mean it can’t still be impressive. And one of my favorite tricks to make a cookie look extra professional is to use a round biscuit cutter (an over-turned glass works as well) to make it perfectly round straight out of the oven. Simply move the cutter in a circular motion around the baked, still-warm cookie, so that the cookie makes contact with the edge of the cutter, which will smooth the sides and nudge it into a perfect circle. See more here: The simple trick for picture-perfect cookie.
What kind of fruit can you use to make these cookies?
Almost any fresh summer fruit will work here! You can mix and match the types of fruit or make the dough with a single variety. Small fruit, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and black raspberries can be used whole. Larger fruit, such as strawberries, cherries, and peaches and other stone fruits should be diced into smaller pieces before using. Frozen fruit is not recommended — but with markets overflowing, using fresh produce is the most enticing option anyway.
Can I make these cookies gluten-free?
Yes! Substitute an equal amount of King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour in place of all-purpose flour. Gently flatten the portioned cookie dough on the baking sheet before baking, then bake as directed.
Find more easy, breezy hot weather bakes in our Bake It Easy: Summer recipe collection.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
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