How to Make Mincemeat Cookies | Festive Holiday Baking

 

These Mincemeat Cookies are soft, spiced, and filled with rich fruit flavor. Made with buttery dough and classic mincemeat, these festive cookies are easy to bake, wonderfully nostalgic, and perfect for Christmas trays, holiday gifting, or cozy winter afternoons.

An added bonus is that they smell fabulous while they are baking!

 

This recipe which I am sharing with you today was adapted from one which I found in a cookbook entitled "A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook" by Karlynn Johnston from the Kitchen Magpie. She is a Canadian blogger from Western Canada.

Mincemeat is one of my very favorite ingredients to use for baking at Christmas. Oh sure, I love it in the traditional Mince Pies, but I also love to use it in other ways, and when I saw this recipe for Mincemeat Cookies it spoke to my mincemeat loving heart.

Sweet and spicy, my cookies didn't come out looking exactly as hers did in the book.  Mine were flatter and more like a traditional chocolate chip cookie in texture, whilst hers looked rather cakey.  I had been going to add a cinnamon glaze but ended up not doing so.

Despite them not looking exactly as the ones in the book, I have to say that they are delicious. Do make sure you adhere to the baking times precisely or you may end up with cookies that are slightly burnt.  My first tray of them came out slightly chewy with crisp edges. The last tray came out darker in color and much crisper. They were both delicious.

 

INGREDIENT NEEDED

 TO 

MAKE MINCEMEAT COOKIES

Other than the mincemeat, everything is a pretty simple baking cupboard ingredient.

• 3 1/4 cups (406g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (120g) butter
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups (350g) mincemeat (Not hamburger but the type for making mince pies with dried fruit and spices in it.)

  

To measure the flour using cups, spoon the flour into the cups and then level off with a straight edge.

Baking soda is known as Bicarbonate of Soda in the U.K.

I used salted butter as that is all I keep in the house. The original recipe did not specify one kind or the other.

I used Kirkland organic granulated sugar. In the U.K. I would use golden caster sugar.  For the brown sugar I would use light muscovado sugar in the U.K.

Use any quality prepared mincemeat. I used a U.K. brand called Mr. Darlington's.  It has a lot of fruit in it and a lovely flavor. Do not confuse prepared mincemeat with ground beef. They are not the same thing at all.

 

HOW TO MAKE MINCEMEAT COOKIES

These go together much like any other type of drop cookie. If you don't have a cookie scoop, simply drop from a tablespoon.

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. (You may need to do this on three cookie sheets depending on the size of your baking sheets.)
2. Using an electric whisk cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. (About two minutes.)
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, salt, and the mincemeat on low speed until combined. (You don't want to break the mincemeat up too much.)
4. Sift the flour, spices and soda together. (This helps to evenly distribute all of the spices and the soda.)
5. Start beating the flour mixture into the creamed mixture a little bit at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. (I use a low speed for this, and finish incorporating the flour by hand with a wooden spoon at the end.)
6. Scoop into TBS sized balls (I used a TBS sized cookie scoop) and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie. (These cookies do spread so don't skip the space in between.)
7. Bake, one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes until the tops have set and the edges are a light golden brown.
8. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the dough has been used and baked.
9. Store baked cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers.

 

HINTS AND TIPS

FOR COOKIE MAKING SUCCESS 

• Read through the recipe several times before baking to help familiarize yourself with any ingredients or equipment needed.
• Gather all of your ingredients together before you begin. This can help to prevent you from leaving out something integral to the recipe.
• Be accurate in your measuring. Baking is an exact science.
• To keep cookies from spreading too much, chill the dough for half an hour before scooping and baking.
• Lining the baking sheets with baking parchment promotes even browning and can help prevent the cookies from sticking.
• Avoid overbaking or underbaking. Remember that the cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes after you take them out of the oven on the heat of the baking sheet.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS MINCEMEAT?

Mincemeat is a spicy fruit mixture, generally used at Christmas to make mince pies. At one time it used to contain meat, but these days you will find that it generally only contains dried vine fruits (raisins, sultanas, currants), mixed peel and sometimes cherries. A quantity of apple is also added along with some beef suet. It is flavored with warm baking spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc.

CAN I MAKE THE DOUGH FOR THESE COOKIES AHEAD OF TIME?

Certainly. Simply make then cover and place in the refrigerator for up to one day. I would not keep the dough for much longer than that.

CAN THESE BE FROZEN?

Yes.  Store in an airtight container with wax paper or parchment paper between the layers.  Freeze for up to 3 months.

HOW LONG WILL THESE KEEP?

These cookies will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature.

WHAT KIND OF MINCEMEAT SHOULD I USE?

I used a quality prepared mincemeat with plenty of fruit and brandy in the mix. Mrs. Darlington's was the brand. This is a British brand of mincemeat. Use whatever prepared mincemeat you have available to you.

 

A FEW OTHER

CHRISTMAS COOKIES TO ENJOY

Here are a few more Christmas Cookie recipes that you might also enjoy baking for your family or friends!

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK SNOWBALLS - With only 5 ingredients, these make a quick and easy Christmas cookie. Everybody loves them. Not too sweet, they are puffy, but are very reminiscent of shortbreads. These are fabulously delicious.

OLD FASHIONED GINGER CUT OUTS - Cut them into stars or gingerbread men, or whatever shape you wish to cut them into. These deliciously crisp and spicy cookies are a wonderful addition to any holiday tray.

 

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Yield: Makes 3 dozen

Author: Marie Rayner

Mincemeat Cookies

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Sweet, spicy, crisp edges and chewy middles. These smell like Christmas when they are baking. Quick and easy to make. Bake time reflects the time to bake all three sheets of cookies at 10 minutes per sheet.

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups (406g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (120g) butter
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups (350g) mincemeat (Not hamburger but the type for making mince pies with dried fruit and spices in it.)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. (You may need to do this on three cookie sheets depending on the size of them.)
2. Using an electric whisk cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, salt, and the mincemeat on low speed until combined.
4. Sift the flour, spices and soda together.
5. Start beating the flour mixture into the creamed mixture a little bit at a time, until thoroughly incorporated.
6. Scoop into TBS sized balls (I used a TBS sized cookie scoop) and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie.
7. Bake, one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes until the tops have set and the edges are a light golden brown.
8. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the dough has been used and baked.
9. Store baked cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers.

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