Go Back
Print

Mincemeat Brown Butter Streusel Squares

A charming little square celebrating the joy of rich aromatic homemade mincemeat, a lovely mixture of fruit, dried fruit, nuts, spices, zest, cider and bourbon. Think of these as a distant cousin to date squares.
Course Baking
Cuisine British
Keyword bars, crumble, mincemeat, squares, streusel
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Mincemeat, make and cool 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16 squares

Ingredients

Mincemeat Filling

  • 2 medium Granny Smith Apples peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 large Bartlett Pear, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes, see Notes
  • 1 cup dried currants
  • 1/2 cup sultanas, or golden raisins
  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped small
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup apple juice or cider
  • 1/4 cup bourbon, brandy, cognac or rum, can also use apple juice if needed
  • 4 tbsp, or 1/2 stick butter
  • Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Grated zest of 1/2 navel orange
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Brown Butter Streusel Squares

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour, see Notes
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds, optional

Instructions

Mincemeat

  1. Place all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed pot and set over medium high heat.
  2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer
  3. Stir regularly, until the liquids have reduced to a thick syrup and have coated all the ingredients. The bottom of the pan will be almost dry, as you stir and expose the bottom with a wooden spoon. Do not let it completely cook off though. The remaining liquids will solidify as it cools so you want some syrup there, or else it will be a stiff, dry filling.
  4. Set aside. This part can be made in advance and stored in a glass jar. Bring back to room temperature before using in the recipe below.

Streusel Squares

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, with long overhangs on either side.
  2. Brown the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat until it has foamed and the fats have turned brown and the aroma is nutty, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
  3. Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold in until incorporated. Reserve 3/4 cup of dough for the streusel topping (store in the fridge)
  6. Press the remaining dough evenly into bottom of the prepared pan. Bake this bottom crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

  7. Spread out 1 1/2 cups of the cooled mincemeat evenly over the cooled crust.

  8. Sprinkle the reserved chilled dough, crumbling it into various sizes evenly over the mincemeat. Scatter the almond slices if using, pressing them gently into the streusel topping.
  9. Bake for 30 to 34 minutes, or until topping is golden and the filling is slightly bubbly.
  10. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Carefully lift out by the parchment overhangs and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. I usually cut out 16 squares, but you can do 12 if so desired. Store in a sealed container for several days, or in the fridge.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use three apples if you don't have a pear handy.

Substitute a gluten free cup for cup blend for the all purpose flour, but always remember to use the scoop and level method when measuring it out.