Name: Mince Pie Stuffed Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 73 min
Ingredients: 125 g Butter (softened, unsalted); 200 g Light brown soft sugar; 1 Egg (large); 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 225 g Plain flour; 1 tsp Mixed spice; 1 tsp Baking powder; 185 g Mincemeat; 75 g Icing sugar; 1 tbsp Water

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

I absolutely love mince pies and as soon as I see them in the shops I buy a pack. I just cannot resist the fruity mincemeat encased in crumbly pastry! These Mince Pie Stuffed Cookies are just as irresistable. They are a spiced brown sugar cookie with a gooey centre of fruity mincemeat. I've also added a drizzle of icing as I love the icing topped mince pies, and I think it tastes great on these cookies! The method of making the Mince Pie Stuffed Cookies is similar to how NYC cookies, or Levain bakery cookies, are made. I found that freezing these cookies before baking them, then baking on a slightly higher temperature than is normal for cookies, kept the mincemeat in the centre of the cookies and gave them that tempting gooey middle!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and egg) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used unsalted butter for this recipe.
I really recommend using light brown soft sugar for this recipe, but if you can't get hold of it you can use caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, ginger. If you can't get hold of it, use a pumpkin spice mix instead. Or try 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves.
For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Mince Pie Stuffed Cookies

To make the cookie dough, mix together butter and light brown sugar, then add vanilla extract and egg, and mix them in.

Then add plain flour, baking powder and mixed spice, and mix to form a dough. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, then flatten each piece out with your hands and put some mincemeat in the centre.

Wrap the cookie dough around the mincemeat and roll the dough into a ball, then freeze the cookie dough balls for 30 minutes. Take them out of the freezer and put them straight into the oven on a preheated tray, bake for 13 minutes. When they are cool, drizzle over some icing.

What mincemeat should you use?

I used a shop bought jar of mincemeat for this recipe. I like to use the ones with extra booze added, like port and brandy, as the flavour is so rich and delicious. You can use any mincemeat you prefer, if you prefer to make it homemade you can use that too. Make sure when buying mincemeat to check the label as it often contains suet, most mincemeat nowadays contain vegetarian suet, but it is worth doubling checking if you are serving these cookies to vegetarians.

How long do the cookies last and can they be frozen?

You can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies too, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Put a square of baking paper between each one to stop them from sticking together.

Can these cookies be made gluten free or dairy free?

For gluten free cookies, swap the plain flour for a gluten free plain flour blend. For dairy free cookies, swap the butter for a dairy free spread.

Do you need an electric mixer to make these cookies?

No, you can absolutely make these cookies by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. It'll take a bit more elbow grease, but it's absolutely doable! If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.

More tips for making the Mince Pie Stuffed Cookies:

Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and will break or stick to the baking paper.
You can decorate the cookies differently if you prefer, for example with melted chocolate, or you can leave them plain.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

More mince pie recipes...