Mincemeat Turkey Tarts

by Ann Clark on her blog, Make More Cookies!

Though some people wrinkle their noses at mincemeat, I’m not ashamed to say that I love it. I particularly like a slice of mincemeat pie with a wedge of buttery cheddar, although whipped cream and vanilla ice cream are welcome, too.

Mincemeat is an old-fashioned mixture, with roots in the medieval practice of preserving meat—usually beef—by combining it with fruit, brandy, and assertive spices of the variety we often reserve for dessert. (If meat with fruit sounds odd to you, just think of pork loin with prunes or duck a l’orange and you’ll get the idea.) Today, most commercially prepared mincemeat includes raisins, apples, citrus peel, brandy, and a healthy dose of spices, with cloves often at the fore. Beef, if present, plays a minor supporting role.

Mincemeat pie is a traditional holiday dessert. But because we always have a surfeit of pies at our family’s Thanksgiving table (and heads would roll if we omitted someone’s favorite apple, pumpkin, or pecan), I rarely get an opportunity to enjoy it. So this year I’m making mincemeat tarts. It’s very easy to do with good jarred mincemeat, our basic sugar cookie recipe, and the right cookie cutter—and what could be more appropriate than stuffing some turkey cookies with spiced fruit?

And because this is the season of sharing and generosity (and excess), I’ve included a second mincemeat cookie recipe, possibly even easier than the first. This recipe uses condensed mincemeat, which you can find in little boxes in the baking aisle alongside the jarred mincemeat. I crumbled the mincemeat into a food processor and gave it a few pulses to break it up and cut the fruit into smaller pieces, then incorporated it right into the dough. When the cookies baked up, the fruit pieces somehow swelled, giving the turkeys a rather unattractive “warty” appearance that I tried unsuccessfully to hide with frosting. But they tasted so good—and actually better without the frosting—I almost liked them better than the tarts. I made a batch of each recipe, and while trying to decide which cookies to photograph and include in today’s post, I kept eating the bumpy turkeys, until my decision was made for me.

Do try one or the other—if you’ve never eaten mincemeat, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Ann
www.annclark.com

Mincemeat Tarts
Makes about 12
Note that the dough is rolled thinner here than for regular sugar cookies.

Sugar Cookie dough, chilled
12 ounces mincemeat (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350º. Roll half of dough out on a lightly floured counter to 1/8-inch thickness and cut with your favorite Ann Clark Ltd. cookie cutters, then transfer cookies onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone liners. Brush lightly with water, then place a generous tablespoon of mincemeat on each cookie. Roll and cut the remaining dough and place the cut cookies on the filling, pressing it down lightly. With your fingertips, press around the edges of the cookies to seal. With a paring knife, cut a couple of slits in the top cookies to allow steam to escape. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cookies cool slightly on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired.

My favorite shapes for Mincemeat Tarts are the Turkey cookie cutter, the Snowman cookie cutter, and the Turtle cookie cutter.


Mincemeat Cookies
Makes about 24
Be sure not to over bake these cookies—a slight chewiness is part of their appeal. Like many desserts with dried fruit, these improve over time.


Place in a food processor and process to very small pieces:
- 1 package condensed mincemeat, crumbled
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cream together until light and fluffy:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

Beat in:
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together and add:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir in:
- Processed mincemeat mixture from above

Stir just until all ingredients are well blended; do not overmix. Chill dough thoroughly, at least an hour, before rolling. Preheat oven to 350º. Roll dough out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4-inch thickness and cut with your favorite Ann Clark Ltd. cookie cutters, then transfer cookies onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone liners. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cookies cool slightly on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

My favorite shapes for Mincemeat Cookies include the Turkey cookie cutter, the Sleigh cookie cutter, and the Frog cookie cutter.

Our thanks to Ann Clark Ltd for letting us share their great Turkey Tart Cookies with our readers. Be sure to check out their website for all their wonderful cookie cutters.