Mincemeat cookies

These mincemeat cookies are easy to make and with a delicious mix of cakey cookies texture with fruit and spice flavors. They're a great way to use up leftover mincemeat, or find any excuse to enjoy.

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In the UK and Australia, mince pies are synonymous with the festive season. True, it can be all too easy to just buy some ready made ones, but they're a lovely treat fresh from the oven, too.

And if you want to go a little step further, making your own mincemeat is easy too (and my sugar free mincemeat is that bit healthier with no added sugar, just the fruits' natural sweetness).

But whatever mincemeat you use, you may end up with a little leftover and wonder what to do with it. Or maybe you have some in the family less in to mince pies. But don't fret, there's a solution for both - these tasty cookies!

I've seen some suggestions that these are an old fashioned kind of cookie, but I can't find any particular source to give more details. But since using up leftovers is as old as time, and mincemeat itself is dates back to the Middle Ages, it seems highly possible someone had this idea a while back. And while they're very simple, the result is so tasty.

Ingredients in mincemeat cookies

As I say, these use only a handful of ingredients, essentially standard cookie ingredients plus mincemeat:

• Mincemeat - also called fruit mince, this is a spiced fruit mixture that's most commonly used as the filling for mince pies. You can buy it in almost any food shop in the UK during the festive season and while it's less easy to find in the US, you can get it online. You can also make your own (you could try my sugar free mincemeat recipe that's less sweet than commercial brands but packed with lots of delicious pieces of fruit and nicely spiced)
• Flour - a key to making the mincemeat into a baked good, just regular plain/all purpose flour is good here.
• Sugar - I have used a mixture of both white and brown sugar here, but you could use just one or the other, as you have and prefer. Brown sugar generally makes cookies chewier, while white makes them less dense. Brown has more flavor while white is sweeter, so keep these in mind if you adapt.
• Butter - this is the fat that gives flavor and texture. I recommend unsalted as the salt level can vary in salted butter, and instead add a dash of salt separately.
• Egg - this helps to bind the mixture and adds to the texture as well. The white in particular is part of what gives a soft cakey texture.
• Baking soda - also called bicarbonate of soda, this lightens the mixture as it's a leavening agent.
• Vanilla extract - this adds flavor and helps bring out the other flavors, too.

They follow a pretty standard method as well - cream together the butter and sugars, mix in the other wet ingredients (egg and vanilla) then add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda) as well as the mincemeat. Mix it all together so well combined.

Tips for making these

As I say, these are pretty easy, but a couple points to help them turn out well.

Firstly, I recommend using a mixer at the start - handheld is fine since it's a small amount (or I tend to use a stick/immersion blender). You can beat by hand but it's harder to get the butter and sugar to be a light texture.

However, I recommend you mix in the flour and mincemeat by hand. This avoids breaking up the pieces of fruit in the mincemeat. True, the flavor won't be much different, but I think it looks a lot nicer to have chunks of raisin etc than brown smudges throughout.

Line a baking sheet/tray to help avoid the cookies sticking - I like using a silicone baking mat so you can reuse it. Use a cookie scoop or a spoon and a spatula to scoop the mixture into cookies. The shape can be a little rustic, and they will melt a little, but try to round them at least a little.

Leave space between the cookies as they will spread a little as they bake. Check on them towards the end to check they are gently browned without being too dark. They will still be a bit soft.

Optional additions

While I have left these as simply a plain cookie, you could add in a few additions to the mix like mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts.

You could also decorate them if you like. You can dust them with powdered sugar (icing sugar) - you probably need to brush with butter to help it stick. Alternatively, add a light glaze to them. An orange glaze would be very fitting flavor-wise (simply powdered/icing sugar mixed with a little orange juice and ideally zest).

If you glaze them, you could also add some decoration, similar to cucidati. However they're tasty just as they are, too, so don't feel the need to make them more complicated if you don't want to!

These mincemeat cookies are flavorful, festive and so easy to make. Whether you're making them to use up leftovers or not, they're well worth a few minutes effort. They were an instant hit in our house so I hope they'll be popular in yours.

Try these other festive cookies:

• Pepparkakor (Swedish ginger thins, crisp with gingerbread-like flavors)
• Zimtsterne (cinnamon star-shaped cookies, with a meringue-like glaze)
• Brunkager (Danish spiced Christmas cookies with nuts in the dough too)
• Plus get more Christmas recipes in the archives.

I'd recommend using a Silicone Baking Mat on top of a Half Baking Sheet to make these. (affiliate links)

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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