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| Choc chip cookie base is topped with mincemeat and icing |
Mince pies (or mincemeat pies, whichever you choose to call them) are one of the most popular foods associated with Christmas in Scotland and the UK as a whole. They are bought individually from baker's shops, in packs from supermarkets and very frequently assembled and baked at home. If, however, you are looking for something a little bit different this year to make with your mincemeat, you may wish to give these ultra sweet Christmas treats a go. They could even be made to represent an excellent way of using up any extra mincemeat you have leftover after you've made your pies.
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| Choc chip cookies |
It's notoriously difficult to give precise ingredient quantities for a bit of a mish-mash of a recipe such as this one. The size of the cookies, the size of your ramekins and more will all prove variables but I have done as best I can below. Do be prepared to add/remove a little bit here and there as necessary. The ramekins I've used here were three and a half inches (nine centimetres) in diameter.
Ingredients (Makes 4 Iced Christmas Treats)
10 medium sized choc chip cookies
3 ounces (75g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons mincemeat
2 tablespoons icing sugar (confectioners' sugar, USA)
Cold water as required
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| Choc chip cookies are crushed with a rolling pin |
Directions
If you wish, you could grind the cookies in a food processor or similar. I prefer to go down the old fashioned route and crush them two at a time with a rolling pin on a chopping board.
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| Crumbled choc chip cookies |
Carefully scrape all the crumbled cookies in to a large glass or stone bowl.
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| Gently melting butter in a saucepan |
Put the butter in to a saucepan and very gently melt.
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| Ramekins are lined with clingfilm |
Line the ramekins individually with clingfilm. Make sure you have a good overhang in each instance. This step is essential for when it comes to removing the assembled treats from the dishes.
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| Melted butter is poured in to crumbled choc chip cookies |
Pour the melted butter carefully in to the choc chip cookie crumbs.
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| Butter and crumbled choc chip cookies combined |
Stir with a wooden spoon until all the butter is combined.
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| Choc chip cookie base is pressed in to ramekins |
Use a teaspoon to divide the choc chip cookie mix between the ramekins, patting down fairly firmly with the back of the spoon to smooth and compress. Each ramekin should be slightly less than half full. Put the ramekins in the fridge for at least an hour to set the mixture. They could quite easily be left overnight at this stage if that suits your schedule better.
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| Gently heating mincemeat to make it more easily workable |
It's not absolutely essential but I find that if you heat the mincemeat very slightly, it makes it much easier to evenly spread over the choc chip base. Do be careful not to heat it too much however as you don't want to melt the bases. About a minute at most on a very low heat should make it considerably more workable.
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| Choc chip cookie base has been set in fridge |
Take the ramekins from the fridge while your mincemeat is gently heating. The bases should be set fairly firmly.
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| Mincemeat topping is added to choc chip cookie bases |
Divide the mincemeat between the ramekins and smooth with the back of a spoon. The ramekins should be between half and quarter an inch from being full. Return to the fridge for a minimum of a further hour.
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| Icing sugar |
Put the icing sugar in to a flat bottomed bowl. It's vital to have close control over how much water you're adding so you may want to start by part filling a small jug, such as a milk jug.
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| Icing sugar is mixed with water to form thick paste |
Very slowly, start adding water to the sugar, a little at a time, stirring as you do so. The sugar paste needs to be very thick, almost like a dough. If you accidentally add too much water, simply add a little more icing sugar.
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| Icing is spread on top of mincemeat |
Spoon the icing on top of the mincemeat to fill the ramekins and smooth. Refrigerate again until set.
The treats are removed from the ramekins one by one by carefully but firmly and steadily lifting the edges of the clingfilm. As you peel the clingfilm away, some of the icing may be disturbed but you can smooth the edges with a knife blade dipped in hot water. Let the treats sit at room temperature for fifteen minutes before tucking in.
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| Removing clingfilm from iced Christmas treat |
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