Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links and if you go via these links to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I have linked these products because I have tried and would thoroughly recommend them, not because of any commission I may receive. Whether you act on this recommendation or not is completely up to you. Check out my Disclaimer for more information.
Christmas is incomplete without some good-old Mince Pies! And in case you´re wondering, no, they do not contain meat!
What exactly are mince pies?
A mince pie is often a complete mystery to people living outside
of the UK! And I completely understand why! But unlike the name suggests, a
mince pie is a sweet pastry – there is absolutely no meat in sight!
The mincemeat inside the pie is a mix of grated apples, raisins, sultanas, currants,
mixed peel, brown sugar and spices soaked in brandy. Very “Christmassy”
flavours and an absolute classic in the UK around Christmas time! I guarantee
you´ll be able to find them in every supermarket or Christmas market!
Whilst shop-bought mince pies are fine if you are in a hurry, I often find that they lack flavour and most importantly – filling! When I have a mince pie, I want to have the mincemeat filling, not an entire mouthful of pastry! Some crumbly, buttery pastry with it is fantastic, but the mincemeat should be the star of the show! Therefore, I would suggest making your own, then you can be as generous with the filling as you like!
How to make homemade mince pies
When making mince pies, it is easiest to use a shop-bought jar of mincemeat, however, if you can´t get any you can simply make your own! You could try following these recipes by the BBC or Delia Smith.
To the shop-bought mincemeat mixture, I like to add a few things to spice it up a bit! I like to add some chopped dried apricots, as well as orange juice, zest and a few extra spices. The sky really is the limit when adding things to your mincemeat, so feel free to play around with the recipe and add different fruits, nuts, spices etc. to yours!
For the pastry case, I use my favourite, fail-proof shortcrust pastry recipe! To increase the flavour, I also add a little orange zest to the pastry mixture.
As shortcrust pastry can be a little tricky to get right, why not read my post on How to Make Shortcrust Pastry for some additional tips and tricks.
Mince pies can be made with varying amounts of pastry. Whilst some people prefer the mincemeat to be completely encased in pastry, others prefer to keep the top pastry-free. You could also grate some marzipan over instead if that takes your fancy! I like to go somewhere in between, by cutting out pastry stars, thereby only half-covering the top with pastry.
You will need a round 10 cm pastry cutter for this recipe. If you don´t yet have one, I recently bought this set of cutters which I would really recommend.
Mince pies are best served warm, so give them a few minutes in the oven to heat through before you eat them! You can also reheat them in the microwave if you wish.
Traditionally, they are served with either pouring cream, whipped cream, clotted cream, brandy butter or my personal favourite: Vanilla ice cream! While the other options are fine, to me there is nothing better than a hot mince pie with some cold vanilla ice cream melting over it! DEEEEELICIOUS!
If you are looking for more dessert recipes, why not try making this Classic British Trifle or my festive Chocolate Pavlova with Bailey´s Cream?
For more Christmas baking recipes, try some of my Christmas biscuits:
– Gingerbread Men
– Chocolate Orange Crescents
– Vanilla Crescents
– Coconut Macarons
Christmas Mince Pies | British Baking Classic
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
- 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 150g cold butter, cubed
- 25g icing sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Zest of 1 orange
FOR THE FILLING:
- 600g mincemeat
- 100g soft dried apricots, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 orange
- Juice of ½ an orange
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 10 cm round pastry cutter
- star-shaped pastry cutter
- 12-hole Muffin Tray
Method:
- First, prepare the filling for the mince pies. Finely chop the soft dried apricots and stir into the mincemeat, along with the orange zest, juice, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside until needed.
- Follow the recipe for making the sweet shortcrust pastry here. Stir in the orange zest once you´ve rubbed the butter into the flour.
- Prepare your muffin tray by placing thin long strips of baking paper across the bottom of each hole. This will make it easier to lift the mince pies out of the tin once baked.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 2mm thick. Using a 10cm round cutter and a small star-shaped cutter, cut out 12 circles and 12 stars. Press the pastry circles into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin tray holes.
- Spoon in 1-2 tbsp of the mincemeat into each pastry case. Top each case with a pastry star.
- Bake the mince pies in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the pastry on the top and around the sides is golden brown.
- Leave the mince pies to cool in the tin for a while until you can lift them out easily without breaking. Then, remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- You can reheat the mince pies in the oven for a few minutes before serving. Dust with icing sugar and serve with some vanilla ice cream or pouring cream.
