Sourdough Fruit Mince Cookies [Christmas Cookies]

If you're looking for a simple sourdough cookie with the spirit of Christmas, then you'll love these sourdough fruit mince cookies. A delicious shortbread base filled with rich and flavorful fruit mince. A Christmas thumbprint cookie made with your own sourdough discard!

If you're looking for some other Christmas recipes using sourdough starter then be sure to check out this sourdough cinnamon roll Christmas tree, these sourdough gingerbread cookies and these chocolate sourdough crinkle cookies.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Christmas in a Cookie - these sourdough thumbprint cookies with sweet fruit mince centres really do taste like Christmas in a cookie! They aren't as sickly sweet as fruit mince pies. These sourdough cookies make the perfect Christmas gift for friends, neighbours and teachers.

Long Fermented Cookies - one of the best things about this recipe is that you can ferment the dough for up to 48 hours.

They Freeze Really Well - these sourdough fruit mince thumbprint cookies freeze really well! You can fill them with fruit mince, freeze them and then bake them straight from the freezer when you want freshly baked cookies.

What Are Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are a cake-like shortbread cookie that have a small indent in the centre - this is the "thumbprint", however it's much easier to make the indentation with a small teaspoon.

Depending on where you live, they might also be called "jam drops". In Australia, they are a very popular biscuit and a great way to use up much loved homemade strawberry jam, or in this case sweet fruit mince.

In Sweden they are called "Hallongrotta" which translates to "raspberry caves".

They are popular during the holiday season because they are easy cookies to bake. We've just made them even more festive by adding a generous dollop of sweet fruit mince filling instead of jam.

What Is Fruit Mince?

Fruit mince is a mixture of dried fruit like currents, apricots, apples and mixed peel that is cooked down with warming spices, apple or orange juice and even brandy. Butter is often added for richness. This fragrant fruit mixture is often called fruit mince meat, which can be really confusing.

Traditionally, fruit mince is baked into small, short crust pies that are decorated with sugar. These are usually gifted and eaten at Christmas time.

For these sourdough cookies, I have used store bought fruit mince, however if you're more adventurous you can of course make your own.

Can I Ferment Sourdough Christmas Cookies?

You can ferment the cookies whether you use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter. It doesn't really matter which you use, just make sure that you're using a sourdough starter that is 100% hydration, that is it has been fed with equal amounts of flour and water by weight.

Sometimes when making sourdough bread, I'll feed my sourdough starter a bit extra so that I have enough to make these cookies.

How To Make Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies

Just like making these sourdough thumbprint cookies with strawberry jam, making sourdough fruit mince cookies is really easy! They make the perfect baked Christmas gift using sourdough starter!

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Cream the softened butter and sugar together using a whisk.

Now add the egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract and sourdough starter to the butter and sugar mixture and whisk together until smooth.

Next add the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt to the wet ingredients and bring together into a smooth dough. I find a spatula is best for this bit as the whisk tends to get bogged down.

Now, cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. You can leave it in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Roll the balls a little and place them onto the prepared baking trays. I find the balls are perfect around 15g each, but you can go up to 20g.

Use a small spoon (half teaspoon is perfect) to make a small indent in the centre of each cookie. This is the "thumbprint" but a spoon is much easier than using your thumb.

Use a small spoon to place a little fruit mince into the indent in each cookie. You don't want to overfill them or they will make a mess in the oven.

Place the sourdough thumbprint cookies into the oven at 350F (180C) for around 15 to 18 minutes or until they are just golden and the fruit mince is bubbling.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to firm up.

Once the cookies have cooled, lightly dust them with powdered sugar.

Ingredient Notes & Flavor Variations

• If you are using salted butter, leave out the pinch of salt. Butter must be soft, NOT melted, or it won't cream properly with the sugar. Butter kept at room temperature is best for making these cookies. You can use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar if you want to, but I find a whisk works just as well and is easier to wash up!
  
• If you'd prefer not to use white sugar, you can use brown sugar or even coconut sugar but it will change the color and texture of the sourdough thumbprint cookies.
  
• You can add other things to the cookie dough to give it extra flavor if you'd like - crushed macadamia nuts or chopped pecans, warm spices like cinnamon or ginger, lemon or orange zest are all lovely additions to these simple cookies and work really well as a complimentary flavor to the sweet fruit mince.

How to Store + Freeze

These cookies will last around a week in an airtight container. It's better to store them in glass than plastic as they will go soft much quicker in a plastic container.

You can freeze unbaked cookies and bake them when you need freshly baked cookies. Add the fruit mince in the centre before you freeze them. Store frozen, unbaked cookies in a zip loc bag.

When you want to bake them, you can bake from frozen, just add a few minutes to the bake time.

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