I had been looking for a novel Christmas recipe so a big thank you to my friend Cynthia for recommending this one, which is based on a recipe from The Times. Best of all the cookies are very easy to make so you end up with all the mince pie flavours (using orange zest and shop-bought mincemeat) with a fraction of the effort! That is my kind of recipe. A great one for making with kids too if you fancy it. Brilliant.
Apparently the cooked cookies and the dough both freeze well. Recipe makes between 20-30 cookies depending on size.
Mince pie cookies
250g unsalted butter, softened
140g sugar
1 egg yolk
Grated zest of a smallish orange
300g flour
1 x 410g jar mincemeat
Heat oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Line 2 or 3 baking trays with grease proof/baking paper (or use a non-stick tray). Lightly beat the butter and sugar until creamy, add the egg yolk and orange zest and then gradually the flour. Then add most of the mincemeat and stir/mix with hands to make a dough. Don’t worry if it seems greasy – it should crisp up when baking.
Pull off little clumps of dough, place on the baking tray and flatten slightly. Dot a small blob of the remaining mincemeat in the middle of each biscuit. Put in the oven and check after 10 minutes. They will be ready in 10-15 mins when golden, a little brown at the edges but still a bit soft in the middle. Be careful not to burn them!
Cool, and store in an airtight container. Will last a few days.
Based on a recipe from The Times
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