Last-minute Christmas Mincemeat

• 400 g dried fruit, I used raisins and sultanas only but you could also add dried cranberries, cherries, mixed peel etc
• 1 eating apple, peeled
• 100 g marzipan, grated
• 50 g butter
• 50 g chopped almonds or cashew nuts
• 75 g soft muscovado sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 200 ml brandy, rum or whiskey

1. Mix the dried fruit together.
2. Weigh the nuts and break them up gently with the end of a rolling pin or chop roughly with a knife.
3. Grate the marzipan and the apple.
4. Put in a pan together with the dried fruit, nuts and butter.
5. Add the sugar and spices and grate in the lemon zest, then squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the pan.
6. Cover and heat gently, stirring as the butter and marzipan melt so everything mixes together.
7. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes, then leave to cool.
8. When completely cool add and stir in the rum, whiskey or brandy.
9. I left it to stand for a while longer as it looked too liquid, and in about an hour or two the rum had been absorbed into the fruit.
10. I then transferred it to jars (two of them) left them to stand overnight, then used the mincemeat to make mince pies the next day, see separate recipe.

raisins, apple, butter, almonds, muscovado sugar, ground cinnamon, mixed spice, brandy

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/480570-last-minute-christmas-mincemeat (may not work)