I was whipping up a batch of scones last night, as you do… trying out a new recipe, as you do… and at the moment of adding the sultanas a thought struck me… what if I throw in some mincemeat at this stage instead of the dried fruit… surely I would have something rather yummy and wonderfully Christmassy too..?
the recipe i’m not so impressed with… it was a little shaggy… but I coped… the concept however is well up there along with other Christmas miracles including the Star of Bethlehem, The Virgin Birth and even the Little Baby Jesus…
… blasphemy aside, I used my recently made whisky mincemeat, which I hadn’t tasted until now and is bloody amazing, even if I say so myself… but it also really added something special to the mix…
… i’m entering these little nuggets of Christmas joy into this months Tea Time Treats, hosted so wonderfully by the divine Karen over at Lavender and Lovage and the stunning Kate at What Kate Baked.
Mincemeat Scones
even though i’m not crazy for this recipe, it did work and they tasted very good… and as with all scone recipes, lightness of hand is of the essence…
400g plain flour
1/2 pint milk
25g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons creams of tartar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
50g butter
4 large tablespoons of home made whisky mincemeat
– place the sugar into the milk and stir until dissolved
– sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter as lightly as possible
– add the milk and mincemeat in alternating spoon-fulls, bringing it all together with a knife until you form a sticky dough
– flour your work surface and pat down the dough onto it, till the dough is just thinner that the depth of the cutter you’re going to use.
– cut out your scones with a sharp slap and bake on a pre-lined baking tray in a hot oven (200C) for 12-14 minutes or until golden
eat and of course, enjoy!
They look very rustic – bet they taste perfect! What a good idea adding the whisky mincemeat.
I knew your homemade mincemeat would come in handy for more than just tarts Dom.
What a perfect seasonal treat. Wasn't it handy to have your own home made mince meat available to stir in.
I have a friend who is convinced that he doesn't like mincemeat (doh!) but does like Christmas pudding and Christmas cake . . . I think this might be may way of smuggling some mincemeat past him!!!
Brilliant entry Dom! Take a much loved tea time treat, add a key Christmassy ingredient, and, taa-dah! Thank you for your entry!
Oh Yum! That is a brilliant idea.
I have been thinking that your last several posts have been quite Christmas-y!
Why have I not thought to add mincemeat to a scones dough? Brilliant, Dom! Very country fireside feeling! Perfect with a big mug of tea!
Wow what a fab idea! Love your post too i really put a smile on my face!
my Mum always told me that, as with many things in life, the key to scones is speed and cold hands. ahem.
When I was young my grandmother would make a mince pie for us once or twice a year. I asked around a couple of years ago but was unable to find mincemeat. You have inspired me to try again.
Look at you with all your Christmassy baking posts… I thought you weren't going to do any! Great idea (though I would expect nothing less) x
What a belting entry Dom and as you called me divine, I am now basking in divine glory! LOVE the idea of these scones and I am definitely going to try them this week for a tea time treat in our house…..will report back and feature them on my blog of course! AB FAB darlink, thanks so much!
Karen
XXX
What a great idea, like Karen I can see me baking these in the next week or so!
Dom: What a delicious idea! Shaggy is o.k. by me as long as they taste good. I'd sure like to have some of your mincemeat marinating in my pantry!
Best,
Bonnie
Now that Dom, is an inspired idea, even if it didn't turn out to be your most favourite scone ever. I haven't tried my mincemeat yet but it is destined to be used this Friday and then again on the Solstice when I think I am going to make some sort of mincemeat muffins / cupcakes for a bonfire party. Think you, Karen & I need to meet up to try out our respective mincemeats and work out which one we should make next year!
When my Mum made scones that were a bit on the heavy side, she used to call them Rock Buns…
I've made mincemeat scones before and they are lovely, it's ages since I made them and now you are making me think I should do so again.
What a great idea. I've never made my own scones or mincemeat. There's always next year…
Great idea Dom – if I liked mincemeat I'd love these!!!
Anything that uses mincemeat gets my vote, these are looking so tempting!
I'm new to your blog and love mincemeat. As a matter of fact I just did a post on a mincemeat pie. Your scones sound great.
Oh yum yum yum…I am totally drooling!
I've never actually tried anything with mincemeat before.. but I would definitely start with these scones!! They look amazing!
They look just perfect to me! What would you tweak next time?
mincemeat scones sounds like a truly delicious concept. I have to give this a go. GG
I've never tried mincemeat before, but when I do, I want it to have whiskey in it, and be wrapped up on a delicious scones, this is an inspired idea.
Interesting concept! I can imagine it working because mincemeat is effectively mostly dried fruit with some spice – did you get a sense of the lovely gooey-ness that I love about mincemeat? I think I'd miss that!
Well now I know what I can do with my open jar of mincemeat, what a great idea they look fabulous