A Few Festive Treats with Homemade Sweet Mincemeat
I love making sweet mince pies, it’s the sign for me, that the festive season has arrived. I used to buy the sweet mincemeat from the supermarket until last year when I ashamedly discovered how easy and liberating it is to make your own sweet mincemeat. It’s one of those tasks that you do late September and come December it has beautifully matured and is ready to be used in the finest festive treats you could possibly dream up.
I made quite a few jars this year as I thought they would make pretty gifts. I filled 300g jam jars with the homemade sweet mincemeat and attached a recipe to the side of the jar for home made mini mince pies.
I challenged myself this festive season to develop a few alternative recipes using sweet mincemeat. I love the Festive Power bars and Luxury Mincemeat Biscuits very much, they are completely my own creation and I’m very proud to share these recipes with you.
The Festive Power Bars are the perfect pick me up come 4pm when you have been working very hard to complete the years projects so you can make a fresh start for the new year. Alternatively they are great to start the day, nibble on one of these for breakfast for a powerful but festive start to the day.
The Luxury Mincemeat Biscuits are simply scrumptious! I wrote this recipe with two variations for cooking times, one for a soft eat and the second for a crispy and crunchy biscuit, perfect for dunking. I pack about 5/6 of these in a clear cellophane bag and tie a festive colorful ribbon round, attach a hand written tag and give a couple of bags to friends and family. I think they make pretty special and very thoughtful gifts.
Christmas Sweet Mincemeat for Keeps
- 175g seedless raisins
- 120g sultanas
- 120g currants
- 50g cut mixed peel
- 50g chopped dried prunes
- 175g soft brown sugar
- 225g cooking apples - peeled, cored and grated
- 115g shredded suet
- 1 orang zest and juice
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 25g chopped almonds
- 25g chopped pecan nuts
- 10g mixed spice
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 75ml brandy
Mix all the ingredients together(use only half the brandy) in a large deep baking tray and cover and leave to stand overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 120°C cover the tray with foil and place in the oven for about 2 hours.
Leave the mixture to cool slightly, then mix in the rest of the brandy.
Sterilize clean glass jars in the oven and spoon the warm mincemeat into the sterilized jars, seal and leave to mature.
Makes 1.3 kg
Food Fanatics Tip:
This mincemeat needs to mature for at least two weeks before using. Once sealed, it can keep for at least 6 months.
Make the perfect gift: Fill clean sterilized glass jars with 300g mincemeat and attach a recipe to the side for the pastry and baking method for making mince pies at home.
Luxury Mincemeat Biscuits
- 100g butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 small free range eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 200g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 75g chopped walnuts
- 200g sweet mincemeat
Preheat oven to 180 °C and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Cream the butter, sugar and eggs together, then beat in the vanilla.
Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together, and add to butter mixture.
Mix until well blended.
Stir in the nuts and mincemeat, mix well.
Drop 20g of the biscuit mix onto the prepared baking trays. Use a fork dipped in plain flour to press the biscuits down to even thickness. Please make sure you leave enough of a gap between the biscuits as they do spread.
Bake the biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes until light but golden brown for a soft eat, if you prefer a crispy crunchy biscuit bake them for 12 - 15 minutes, dust them with icing sugar and leave them to cool on a cooling rack.
Makes about 35 - 40 biscuits
Food Fanatics Tips:
Keep the biscuits in a airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
They make a very pretty gift and would be adored even by those individuals who do not normally enjoy a good mince pie. Pack 5/6 of these festive luxury mincemeat biscuits into a cellophane bag and wrap a festive and colorful ribbon round, attach a pretty hand written tag. I love these kind of gifts as they are so personal!
Festive Power Bars
Pastry:
- 85g plain white flour
- 10g icing sugar, sifted
- 50g butter
- 1/2 tbs ice cold water
Filling:
- 200g mincemeat
Topping:
- 30g butter
- 25gwhite flour
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 25g rolled oats
- 1tbs semolina
- 20g caster sugar
- 20g walnuts, chopped
- 20g flaked almonds
Pre-heat the oven to 175ºC and line a 22cm x 12cm x 7cm loaf tin with parchment papaer.
Make the pastry: Measure the flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add sufficient ice cold water to firm the dough.
Roll out the pastry to a rectangle, line the base of the prepared tin with pastry.
Spread the mincemeat evenly over the pastry base.
Topping: Pour the flour, semolina, cinnamon, oats and caster sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, use your fingertips to rub the butter in until lit looks like breadcrumbs. Add the nuts and run your fingers through to mix.
Scatter the crumble over the mincemeat. Press the crumble topping down firmly with your hands.
Bake in pre-heated oven for about 35 - 40 minutes until golden brown.
Let it cool completely before cutting into 4cm slices.
Makes 5 power bars
Food Fanatics Tips:
These power bars are the perfect festive pick me up treat come 4pm or have one of these for breakfast.
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Thanks so much for the mincemeat biscuit recipe, which I made yesterday!
I still have loads of mince to deal with (must remember to halve my recipe next year!) and these are a delicious way to use up some of it!
Hi Mark
Mixed spice is Cinnamon (40%), Coriander Seed, Caraway, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves hope this helps.
What exactly is mixed spice? Cinnamon, clove, ginger?
[...] A Few Festive Treats with Homemade Sweet Mincemeat Recipe by … [...]
My brother hasn’t eaten meat for years, so we always make our own mincemeat using vege suet – which is coconut based but looks exactly like beef suet… Hope this helps!
Both of these recipes look good alternatives to mince pies – thank you for sharing them.
Colin, you can get vegetarian suet which is now made with non hydrogonised fat.
Any suggestions for a substitute for shredded suet
I feel ashamed now, I’m going to be buying my mincemeat today from the supermarket. This is a must for me next year though.
Nice work, looks fantastic!
I had mince pies made with homemade mince meat on Sunday – and these had actual minced beef in them. It sounds odd (and kind of gross) but it worked really well.
Great present idea!
Loving the festive power bars. Also using any thick homemade cranberry sauce you might have laying about works well with this idea. Gets eaten way to quickly though!