Ingredient: apple, peeled & chopped

December has arrived and when I was growing up, it was officially ‘baking season’ for my mom. Many of the ingredients for the special things she would bake at this time of year were just too expensive to have on hand all the time. While we were at school, over the weeks prior to Christmas, she would bake many different kinds of cookies and squares. When we would arrive home in the late afternoon, there was no trace of what she had baked. Every cookie tin and various other containers were being filled with these glorious goodies. It all became part of the mystery and suspense of the season.

Like many traditions, the origin of the Christmas baking ‘bonanza‘ comes from medieval times. Winter solstice rituals were conducted long before Christmas became the huge commercial holiday it is today. Celebrations revolved around food. By the middle ages, the Christmas holiday had overtaken solstice rituals and the pastry world was experiencing some big changes. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper as well as dried exotic fruits were becoming available. Expensive delicacies like sugar, lard and butter all became treasured ingredients that could only be afforded on this most important holiday.

Unlike pies and cakes, cookies could easily be shared and given to friends and neighbors. Our modern day Christmas cookies are baked for similar reasons. They’re given as hostess gifts in festive tins, used on giant dessert trays and of course they make for wonderful family baking traditions.

Most homemade holiday cookies were simple rounds or squares until import laws changed in the 19th century introducing inexpensive cookie cutters made of tin and emphasized shapes.

I realize ‘mincemeat’ doesn’t appeal to everyone’s pallet. These days the ‘all-fruit’ varieties have made it much more appealing. In a previous blog, I had used a lemon curd filling in these tender little cheesecake cookies. Since Brion and I both enjoy the all-fruit mincemeat, I thought I’d do a Christmas version. Pairing the flavors of anise, mincemeat and lemon was real nice.

The Irish Cream cookies are an easy no-bake version. If you like this liqueur, I’m pretty sure these boozy little bites will work for you.

Print Recipe

Mincemeat Cheesecake Cookies / Irish Cream Cookies

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Rating: 5
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Course

dessert, Finger Food Buffet

Cuisine

American, European

Servings

cookies MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Mincemeat Filling

• 700 ml 5-fruit mincemeat (suet-free)
• 1 1/2 cups apple, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Cheesecake Cookies

• 230 gm cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp extract PLUS 1 tsp anise seed
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Lemon Glaze

• 20 gm cream cheese, softened
• 1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar (to taste)
• lemon extract to suit your taste
• milk, enough to make glaze a drizzle consistency

Irish Cream Cookies

• 1 cup Irish Cream Liqueur
• 2 Tbsp white corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter,
• 100 gm white chocolate, broken
• 2 cups puffed brown rice
• 2 cups quick oatmeal

Course dessert, Finger Food Buffet Cuisine American, European Servings cookies MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Mincemeat Filling 700 ml 5-fruit mincemeat (suet-free) 1 1/2 cups apple, peeled & chopped 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1 Tbsp lemon juice Cheesecake Cookies 230 gm cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp extract PLUS 1 tsp anise seed 2 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Lemon Glaze 20 gm cream cheese, softened 1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar (to taste) lemon extract to suit your taste milk, enough to make glaze a drizzle consistency Irish Cream Cookies 1 cup Irish Cream Liqueur 2 Tbsp white corn syrup 1/3 cup butter, 100 gm white chocolate, broken 2 cups puffed brown rice 2 cups quick oatmeal

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Mincemeat Filling

1. Combine mincemeat filling ingredients & refrigerate until needed.

Cheesecake Cookies

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese & butter until fluffy & smooth; 1-2 minutes. Add sugar; beat another 1-2 minutes then add eggs & anise extract & continue beating 1 more minute.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, anise seed & salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture & stir just until incorporated. Do NOT over mix. Divide dough in half.
3. Between 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll each half of the dough to a 1/8"-1/4" thickness. Remove top sheet & using a 2 1/2" (6 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Using top sheet of parchment, lay rounds about 2" apart. Slide a plastic cutting board under parchment paper & transfer to freezer for about 30 minutes. (I found this made it much easier to continue the procedure).
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove cookies from freezer. Spoon about a teaspoon of COLD mincemeat filling onto center of each circle. Wet edges a bit with water or beaten egg. Fold cookies in half & using a fork, press edges to seal. (If your mincemeat filling is well chilled, I found it didn't run out of the cookies while being baked).
5. Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be light in color, not browned & just starting to brown on bottom. * Length of baking time may vary from oven to oven. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

1. In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients & beat to a drizzle consistency. When cookies are cooled, drizzle with glaze.

Irish Cream Cookies

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine Irish cream, corn syrup, butter, white chocolate & salt. Heat while stirring until butter & chocolate have melted. Gently boil for about 2 minutes.
2. Turn off heat & stir in puffed rice & oatmeal. Let stand for 2 minutes. If the mixture is a little runny, you may need to add a little more oatmeal ... about 1/4 - 1/3 cup).
3. Using a spoon, you can either drop by spoonfuls on buttered parchment or press mixture into a buttered 1/4 cup measuring cup to form more precise cookie rounds. Let stand for at least an hour or until cookies are set. They will be soft but chewy. If you wish, decorate with holiday motifs.