Holiday Fruit Mince Bars

Dec 20th

Summertime…..and the living is easy! School is out, the sun is shining out of a blue cloudless sky, it is HOT and the kids are splashing in the pool and shrieking with delight. Every now and again a wet, sunkissed little body comes to the door and says “Nan, we’re so hungry!” I bet moms and grandmothers all over the world know that one well. Well, it’s the perfect time to fill the cookie jars and tins with sweet treats for active, hungry kids!

These holiday fruit mince bars make a great treat for kids and grown ups. They take me back to my childhood when my mom used to make these and fill the metal tins that stood high on a shelf in the pantry! You can, of course buy ready-made fruit mince from the store and jazz it up a  bit by adding some orange zest, a grated Granny Smith apple and a bit of orange juice. But I prefer to make my own.  See my recipe here

HOLIDAY FRUIT MINCE BARS

Makes about 15 bars or 25 squares 

Ingredients:

100g (½ Cup) Sugar

1 Egg

120g (½ Cup) Butter

1 ClemenGold – Finely grated zest of half  – reserve the other half zest and all the juice for the mince

280g (2 Cups) Cake Flour

5ml (1tsp) Baking Powder (level)

2.5ml (½ tsp) Freshly grated Nutmeg

2.5ml (½ tsp) Cinnamon

2.5ml (½ tsp) Vanilla Extract

500g (1 ½ Cups) Fruit Mince – warmed with the ClemenGold juice & half the zest

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C.

Grease or spray a 33x23cm baking sheet with shallow sides (or a swiss roll pan).

Cream butter and sugar well.

Add egg and beat in well.

Add vanilla essence and zest and beat in.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices together over  the butter mixture and mix in well with the dough hook or K blade of your mixer until all the flour is incorporated.

Cut dough in half, wrap one half in cling wrap and place in the freezer  then press the other half evenly and thinly into the bottom of the prepared baking sheet.

Cover the entire surface evenly with the warmed (not hot) fruit mince.

Remove the other half of the dough from the fridge then using the large side of a grater grate it evenly over the top of the filling (you don’t have to freeze it but it grates much easier!).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and cut, while still hot, into bars or squares with a sharp knife.

Cut around the 4 sides to release the biscuits from the pan while still hot then leave to cool in the pan before lifting out with a spatula.

Store in an airtight container.

Dust with icing sugar before placing on a serving plate…or eat as is, directly from the tin like I do :)

Enjoy!

browniegirl xx

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