“Gross. You can’t make a baked good with meat in it! No way!”
You wanna bet?
I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.
And, I did.
The holidays are here and traditional mincemeat DID contain meat:
Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and sometimes beef suet, beef, or venison. Originally, mincemeat always contained meat. Many modern recipes contain beef suet, though vegetable shortening is sometimes used in its place. Variants of mincemeat are found in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, northern Europe, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. In other contexts mincemeat refers to minced or ground meat.
-Wikipedia
English recipes from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries describe a mixture of meat and fruit used as a pie filling. These early recipes included vinegars and wines, but by the 18th century, distilled spirits, frequently brandy, were being used instead. The use of spices like clove, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon was common in late medieval and renaissance meat dishes. The increase of sweetness from added sugars, and those produced from fermentation, made mincemeat less a savoury dinner course and helped to direct its use toward desserts.
The intensity of the spices helped to preserve the meat.
Well, game on – mincemeat + “meat” for a Christmas treat cookie this year.
You’ll love it, I promise. I mean, come on, it’s a cookie, with chocolate and bacon (and the sweet aromatic goodness of spiced mincemeat!).
Chocolate Chunk Mincemeat Bacon Cookies
16 Tbs. butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
2 cups prepared Mincemeat*
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
10 oz. crispy bacon, chopped OR EPIC Bacon and Protein Jerky Bites
10 oz. dark chocolate chunks
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together the butter, eggs, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the Mincemeat, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add the flour in batches and mix until well combined. Fold in the bacon and chocolate chunks.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Scoop 1″ balls on to parchment lined baking sheets (this recipe yields 6 dozen) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before devouring…you want that chocolate to still be melty!
Sweet and salty heaven!
*Mincemeat:
4 Tbs. butter (or beef suet)
1 large sweet apple (Fuji), peeled, cored, and diced
1 large orange, zested, peeled, and diced (reserve zest)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup brandy
2 tsp. cornstarch
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and mix in the diced apples, orange and zest, raisins, sugar, lemon juice, and spices.
Stir and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the brandy and cornstarch.
Whisk until smooth.
Store in an airtight container for several days in the fridge to allow for the flavors to meld before using for the cookie recipe.
