I used this recipe, but augmented it with some finely chopped granny smith apple, a good amount of chopped almonds and a few slugs of amontillado sherry. I also dug out the remains of last year's version and added that to the mix (with a bit more sherry for good measure). The resulting mixture, heady with fruity, nutty (and somewhat boozy smells) has sat on the kitchen bench all week while I thought about what to do next with it.
Yesterday morning, after spreading some on my toast (surprisingly good, but the toast does need to be buttered), I had an epiphany while thinking about gluten-free things I could make for a coealic friend. These fruity, nutty (and ever so slightly boozy) balls are the result.
Fruity snowballs
The consistency of these will depend on what your fruit mincemeat is like. Be prepared to adjust quantities accordingly so the initial mixture is firm enough to roll into balls, but still sticky enough to pick up the coconut coating. You could also use finely chopped nuts instead of coconut.
150g fruit mincemeat
60g ground almonds
60g dessicated coconut, plus another 50g for rolling
finely grated zest of an orange
1 tsp Cointreau or 1/2 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the mixture clumps. Take teaspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls, then roll in the extra dessicated coconut. Put in an airtight, covered container in the fridge. Makes about 15, depending on how much of the mixture you sample first.
Have a great weekend, everyone. x
Genius idea. Love almond balls and these sound perfectly Christmassy. I may try them this weekend x
ReplyDeleteThanks Dom - they are a very good festive pick-me-up!
DeleteIngenious :o)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteYum!
ReplyDeleteSarah x
PS I'd love it if you would pop by for Tea Party Tuesday this Tuesday! :-)
lovely idea but for me I love the idea of adding your leftover mince from last year into the mix - I have a small amount left from last year and was thinking maybe I don't make any mince this year as it was hard enough to get through last year
ReplyDeleteThank you, I thought that was quite clever too (she says, modestly). I was inspired by all the bloggers I've seen adding mincemeat to all sorts of other things - I thought, 'I know, why don't I add it to my new batch'!
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