Old-Fashioned Mince Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed*
• 2 eggs, well beaten.
• 1-1/3 cups (or 1/2 jar) prepared mincemeat OR mincemeat with brandy.
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind.
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Recipe may be doubled, using the whole jar of mincemeat (the kind with brandy is especially delicious, but you can add a little rum, if desired).

*Light brown is recommended, as the dark imparts its own flavor, which is unnecessary.

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line with foil or parchment paper cookie sheets. Depending on your oven's capacity, four are recommended; using two at a time and allowing the other two to cool between batches. This recipe make a lot of cookies: 245-250 when doubling recipe! Cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar very gradually; beat until light. Stir in eggs. Add mincemeat and lemon rind; blend. Sift together sifted flour, soda and salt; blend into mincemeat mixture. Drop by teaspoonsful onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for one minutes before removing to wire racks. Store tightly covered for soft cookies (put plastic wrap or foil between layers because they stick together in storage). Store loosely covered for crisper version.

One year, a co-worker found out I had drawn her name for Christmas gift-giving. She said all she wanted was a batch of these all to herself! (I had made them at a previous potluck.) I made them for her, another satisfied friend!

By CayC from Green Cove Springs, FL