Christmas seems to have become really commercialised, and making gifts and decorations at home is usually greatly appreciated. This is especially true if the gifts are edible and delicious.
These cookies (or biscuits) are easy to prepare and bake, and would wrap beautifully in fancy cellophane or clingwrap. Tied with a red or green ribbon, they make a gift almost anyone would appreciate. Alternatively, arrange in a small basket.
They can easily be made into Christmas tree decorations, which is fun as they are Christmas tree shaped themselves. In either form, they are a great idea to take to parties, or to serve to visitors. At other times of the year, the cookies can be made into other appropriate shapes, such as a pumpkin (use an apple-shaped cutter) a ghost at Hallowe'en or a fat candle for birthdays, or stars or angels at Christmas.
The recipe is suitable for vegetarians, providing the mincemeat doesn't contain beef suet - and most kinds don't these day.
This recipe makes about 45 small Christmas tree cookies; if fewer are needed, the recipe could still be followed but the remaining dough can be kept in the freezer. Alternatively, just halve the quantities to make 20-25. The recipe takes around 20 minutes or so to prepare, depending how quickly you can roll and cut the dough, but takes only about 12 minutes to bake.
Recipe for Mincemeat Shortbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Ingredients:
- 300g plain flour + a little extra for rolling the dough
- 75g cornflour
- 270g butter at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or essence)
- 115g caster sugar (or granulated if caster is not available) + a little extra for sprinkling
- 200g vegetarian mincemeat
- Half an egg, beaten (to glaze, optional)
A small Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter is also needed, unless another shape is preferred, as well as a large bowl, rolling pin and board, and 2 baking trays lined with baking parchment. If the cookies are to become tree decorations, a skewer or small piece of tube will be needed, too, with diameter 3-4cm.
The oven should be ready at 160C for a fan oven, otherwise 180C.
Directions:
- Tip the 300g flour and the cornflour into the bowl. Chop the butter roughly and add.
- Using fingertips (or a slow beater), rub the flours and butter together until they look like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the vanilla, sugar and mincemeat, and continue to mix well until they all come together to form a smooth dough. This can be done by hand, or by a beater with dough hook attachments. At this point, if only half the dough is needed, seal half in a freezer bag and freeze.
- Sprinkle the board with some extra flour, and flour the rolling pin too. Roll out the dough to an even thickness of just under 1 cm.
- Cut out the cookies, collecting, re-rolling and cutting any scraps left. Place them on the lined baking sheets, a little apart. Brush with the beaten egg, if using.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes until the edges are starting to brown. Watch them carefully, though, as some ovens may be hotter than shown on their dials.
- If the trees are to used for decorations, after 8 minutes remove the trays briefly from the oven, one at a time, and quickly press in the skewer or metal tube where the hole needs to go, then remove it and replace the trays in the oven.
- When ready, sprinkle with a little caster sugar, then slide the trees onto a cooling rack. If there are holes which have started to close, gently push through the same skewer or metal tube.
If the trees are to be gifts, attach a decorative label listing the ingredients and the date they were baked. A wheat-free flour could be used instead of plain flour, although the consistency and baking time might be slightly different.
These mincemeat shortbread Christmas trees are easy to make, and don't take long. They make delightful gifts, and are fun served to guests. Children love them, too. As Christmas decorations themselves, they look so appetising that they may all be gone by the Big Day.
Jacqueline Pye - Jacqueline is a former teacher & educational psychologist, and a writer with many articles published. She is an expert vegetarian cook, ...
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