Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (2024)

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Mincemeat shortbread is a delicious and unique twist on traditional Scottish shortbread that is sure to please everyone this Christmas. I combine traditional shortbread with a layer of the signature Christmas flavour of fruity mincemeat. With its buttery-crisp crust, the mincemeat shortbread bars recipe is one of the most beloved holiday desserts that you can serve to family and friends. This is also a great recipe if you are wondering how to use up a jar of mincemeat leftover from Christmas.

Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (1)

So if you’re ready to get baking, discover everything you need to know about creating mincemeat shortbread this holiday season.

Explore our mouthwatering mincemeat shortbread recipe to add some excitement to your holiday baking.

Top Questions

Can you freeze mincemeat slices?
Why is the filling of mince pies called mincemeat?
Why do mince pies have suet?
Can you eat mince pies on Christmas Day?
How to use up jar of mincemeat?

Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (2)

Why you’ll love this Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe recipe

This mincemeat shortbread recipe is easy to follow and produces a delicious sweet treat time and after time.

Making Christmas shortbread is a great way to use up your leftover jar of mincemeat.

Baking with festive spiced mincemeat makes your whole house smell wonderfully Christmassy! It’s a great way to get you in the festive spirit.

Ingredients

For the full recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.

Mincemeat

Mincemeat is a delicious concoction which is a centuries-old favourite around the world. Filled with dried fruit, apples and festive spices it is a Christmas classic. It’s good for mince pies but you wouldn’t believe what other baked goods mincemeat is good for. When looking for recipes using jarred mincemeat, this a great one to try.

Flour

Vital to the structure of your mincemeat shortbread, plain flour will help bring the shortbread dough together and when you flour your surface it will help stop the dough from sticking when you roll it out.

Butter

Unsalted butter is the best thing for this mincemeat shortbread recipe. Mixing the butter with the flour is what brings the dough together. Don’t forget to get your butter out of the fridge nice and early so its soft.

Sugar

Caster sugar is what you need for this recipe, it’s finer than granulated so won’t leave your bakes with a gritty texture. If you are out of caster sugar, granulated will work fine for mincemeat slices.

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How to make Mincemeat Shortbread – step by step

For the full mincemeat shortbread bars recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.

Making Scottish Shortbread

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Cream together the butter and sugar until it’s creamy and fluffy. Then sieve in the plain flour.

Keep adding the flour until it all comes together. Be mindful not to over mix the mixture.

Assembling the Mincemeat Shortbread

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Press the shortbread into your lined baking tin, using the back of a spoon will often help you get an even base.

Spoon your mincemeat on top and spread it evenly, leaving a little space at the edges to help it seal with the lid.

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Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (9)

Roll out a second sheet of your dough, the same size as your base and lay it atop your mincemeat filling.

Press the edges down to seal the mincemeat shortbread slices in.

Baking the Christmas shortbread

Pierce the top with a fork and give your pastry a quick egg wash.

Then, bake your mincemeat traybake slices for 30 – 35 minutes, until it’s golden brown.

Finishing the shortbread

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over your mincemeat slices. Slice while still warm into even squares. This recipe using jarred mincemeat is easy to make and delicious while still warm!

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Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (13)

Mincemeat shortbread slice Top Tips

While your mincemeat shortbread bakes you can mix together the sugar and cinnamon, this will save you some time once it’s baked.

Get your butter and mincemeat out of the fridge a little while before you need them, having all your ingredients at room temperature will help them combine better.

Serve your mincemeat shortbread while it’s still warm with a pouring of double cream for the perfect winter dessert.

Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe Serving Suggestions

This mincemeat traybake is perfectly served as is, the spiced mincemeat and cinnamon sugar are perfectly balanced with the simple shortbread.

But if did want to jazz up this mincemeat bars recipe, you can serve them decorated with a sprig of holly. This brings the dessert to life but doesn’t forget to remove the holly before you actually serve the mincemeat shortbread traybake to your guests.

Warm custard is a great pairing to this mincemeat bars recipe, it’s warm and thick and is perfectly festive. But if you’re a fan of hot and cold desserts you can pour double cream over your warm mincemeat slices.

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Equipment

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This easy mincemeat shortbread bars recipe is so great because you don’t need any fancy equipment.

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Substitutions and variations

Zesty Lemon

The warm spiced mincemeat is the perfect pair to a splash of light, fresh lemon. Zest half a lemon into the mincemeat layer of your mincemeat shortbread for a refreshing hint of citrus.

Chocolate

Depending on your preference, dark or milk chocolate grated into the mincemeat shortbread recipe. It melts in the oven and mixes wonderfully with the spiced festive mincemeat.

You could even melt some chocolate to drizzle across the top of your mincemeat slices for decoration.

Orange

As with the lemon, zesting and orange is a great way to level up this mincemeat bars recipe. You could even add a little juice of an orange to the mincemeat mix as well to really enhance the flavour.

Storing Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe / Making ahead of time options

Mincemeat bars should be kept in the fridge once they are baked and cooled. They’ll keep for a few days in an air-tight container in the fridge. I suggest layering your mincemeat slices with some kitchen roll in between to stop them from sticking together.

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FAQS

Can you freeze mincemeat slices?

Yes, mincemeat slices can be frozen once they have been baked. I recommend cutting them into mincemeat squares before you freeze them, this allows you to have mincemeat shortbread on demand.

Why is the filling of mince pies called mincemeat?

The filling of mince pies is called mincemeat as its an old 15th-century English name for the mixture that had chopped nuts, fruit and meat in. It was made to preserve sugar and alcohol.

Why do mince pies have suet?

Mince pies have suet in them to help preserve them. It also thickens the mincemeat mixture.

Can you eat mince pies on Christmas Day?

Yes, you absolutely should have mince pies on Christmas day. They are wonderful when served warm with a cup of tea in the morning or when you’re almost too full after having Christmas lunch.

How to use up a jar of mincemeat?

You can use up a jar of mincemeat by making lots of mini mince pies, adding it to layers of puff pastry and making mincemeat twists or by adding a spoonful to some homemade shortbread and creating mincemeat shortbread.

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Recipe

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Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe

Sisley White

Mincemeat shortbread is a delicious and unique twist on traditional Scottish shortbread that is sure to please everyone this Christmas. I combine traditional shortbread with a layer of the signature Christmas flavour of fruity mincemeat. With its buttery-crisp crust, the mincemeat shortbread bars recipe is one of the most beloved holiday desserts that you can serve to family and friends. This is also a great recipe if you are wondering how to use up a jar of mincemeat leftover from Christmas.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Bakes, Christmas Dinner, Dessert, Sweet Treats

Cuisine American, British, International

Servings 20 bitesize pieces

Calories 226 kcal

Equipment

  • 8-inch square cake tin

Ingredients

  • 250 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 125 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 350 g plain flour / all purpose flour
  • 300 g mincemeat

Cinnamon Sugar Topping (optional)

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoons caster sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180ºC / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4.

  • Line an 8 inch square baking tin with greaseproof paper / baking parchment. (Or a 9-inch round cake tin.)

  • Cream the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl until it's light and fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla extract.

    Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (25)

  • Sieve in the plain flour and stir well until it forms a crumbly dough. You don't want to over-mix.

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  • Divide the dough into 2 and press one half into the base of the tin.

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  • Spread a layer of mincemeat over the dough in the tin.

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  • Roll out the remaining dough to the size of the tin and lay it gently over the mincemeat.

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  • Use a fork to make holes all over the mincemeat shortbread and it's ready for the oven.

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  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden browned.

    Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (31)

Sugar Topping

  • Mix together the sugar and cinnamon if you want to make cinnamon sugar for the top of the mincemeat shortbread.

  • As soon as the shortbread is out of the oven sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar or just the caster sugar depending on your taste.

    Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (32)

  • Slice the shortbread while still warm and leave to cool.

    Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (33)

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 313IUVitamin C: 0.004mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Keyword Christmas, Christmas Baking Recipes, leftover mincemeat, Mincemeat, mincemeat shortbread, Scottish shortbread, shortbread

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Mincemeat Shortbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does mincemeat taste like? ›

But the mincemeat I'm talking about is thick, sweet, spicy and brown; a sludge of raisins, booze, orange peels, allspice and other aromatics. Some recipes also involve apples, and almost all varieties include shredded beef and suet.

Who makes none such mincemeat? ›

The Merrell-Soule Company, manufacturer and distributor of canned goods, successfully introduced condensed mincemeat under the None Such® brand name for Borden.

What is in minced meat? ›

Minced meat is meat that has been very finely chopped. In some countries, it can also be put through a meat grinder, but without any additional ingredients – meat only. There are also large machines with very sharp blades that repeatedly chop the meat into very small pieces.

Why is mincemeat so expensive? ›

Mincemeat isn't difficult to make, but it has a lot of ingredients, which can make it expensive to produce in small batches, and it requires at least a day's advance planning to let the ingredients sit.

Why do they call it mincemeat? ›

Mincemeat is a combination of chopped dried fruits, spices, sugar, nuts, distilled spirits, a fat of some type and sometimes meat. The name is a carryover from 15th century England when mincemeat did indeed have meat in the mix; in fact, the whole point of mincemeat was to preserve meat with sugar and alcohol.

Is none such condensed mincemeat discontinued in the USA? ›

Condensed Mincemeat

A Note to Our Customers: We heard you! Our condensed mincemeat is returning. We appreciate your patience while we focus on production. Please click here to enter your email to be alerted as soon as our boxed condensed version is available for order online or in a store near you for the 2024 season.

Why is there no mincemeat in stores? ›

The reason is probably because mince meat pie is not very popular in the US, except maybe around the winter holidays. Walmart, and other stores, will make more money and have less waste if they carry the more popular pie flavors.

Does Smuckers make mincemeat? ›

JM Smucker None Such Mincemeat, 27 oz - Walmart.com.

What part of the cow is mince meat? ›

Although any cut of beef can be used to produce ground beef, chuck steak is a popular choice because of its rich flavor and meat-to-fat ratio. Round steak is also often used. In the United States, ground beef is usually categorized based on the cut and fat percentage: Chuck: 78–84% lean.

What was the original mincemeat pie made of? ›

The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.

Does jarred mincemeat have meat in it? ›

Nowadays, it's easy to find mincemeat pies still made with beef suet and a small amount of minced meats (usually beef). All-vegetarian mincemeat pies are readily available as well, especially if you purchase a premade jar of mincemeat filling.

How would you describe mincemeat? ›

Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and often beef suet, usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Mincemeat formerly contained meat, notably beef or venison. Many modern recipes replace the suet with vegetable shortening.

Is mincemeat sweet or savory? ›

Added sugar is what took the mincemeat pie from an overtly savory option to a dish that could have a flavor profile more like a dessert. Later recipes list the lean beef, beef suet, along with raisins, currants, sugar, lemon and orange peel, as well as aromatic nutmeg and cloves simmered with brandy.

Can you eat raw mincemeat? ›

As long as you haven't allowed the surface meat to cross-contaminate the centre, the rest of it will be safe to eat rare. However, this is why eating undercooked ground beef (such as mince and burger patties) is unsafe, and why you should be a little more careful if dicing beef.

Is mincemeat just ground beef? ›

It is not the same as mincemeat, which is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits, spices and historically (but present day rare) minced/ground meat.

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