Did you know that there is an old medieval Christmas saying that if you eat a Christmas mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you will have good luck and happiness for the next 12 months? What are you waiting for - there's still time to bake a batch before Christmas Day!
I absolutely love Christmas mince pies, but I've never managed to get that soft buttery pastry like the mince pies that you buy in the shops - until now, that is.
This pastry is soft, sweet and buttery and simply melts in your mouth. The secret lies in the way the pastry is mixed. With normal shortcrust pastry, the flour and butter are rubbed together and then mixed with liquid. With this pastry, sugar and butter are creamed and then enriched with an egg before the flour is added.
This makes a world of difference to the final taste and texture of the pastry. The first method produces a crispy pastry whereas the second method results in a soft, almost cake-like pastry, that simply melts in your mouth.
And having mastered the pastry, I added a bit of extra oomph to the filling by grating an apple into a jar of shop-bought mince pie filling, along with a teaspoon of orange essence for good measure. The tartness of the apple cuts through the sweetness of the mincemeat beautifully, and the orange essence add a lovely citrus flavour.
These are honestly the best mince pies ever. And they are so easy to make too. I used a food processor to mix the pastry, but you could just as easily use a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. You will just need a bit more elbow grease!
I've mentioned the tradition of eating one mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas. But there's another tradition that is just as important. Santa loves mince pies (why do you think he's so fat?) and you should leave one out for him on Christmas Eve while he's delivering the presents. And don't forget a carrot for his reindeer!
Ingredients
**You can get the quantities of ingredients on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Christmas mince pies are made with sweetcrust pastry, otherwise known as pate sucree. This is a rich buttery pastry which is made by creaming the butter and sugar together, before mixing in the eggs and flour. This is different to the traditional shortcrust pastry which is made by rubbing the butter into the flour first and binding with water.
Making the pastry in this way gives a delicious buttery texture, which is what mince pies are all about.
Let's talk about the ingredients. You will need ingredients for both the filling and the pastry.
Filling
- Fruit mincemeat - this is made from a mixture of sultanas, currents, candied citrus peel along with sugar and various other flavourings. One 400-gram (or 10-ounce jar) will make 18 mince pies.
- Apple - the best apple to use for this is a Granny Smith if you can get it, otherwise, any tart apple is fine.
- Orange essence - this adds additional citrus flavour to the filling.
- Egg - the egg is used both for sealing the pastry lids onto the base, and also for egg-washing the assembled pies before baking.
- Granulated sugar - this is optional, but I like to sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top of the pies before putting them into the oven.
Pastry
- Flour - use plain or all-purpose flour - this pastry does not require any leavening agent so don't use self-raising flour.
- Butter - you can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter then don't add any additional salt to the pastry.
- Caster sugar - caster sugar dissolves more easily than granulated sugar. However, if you don't have caster sugar you can use granulated sugar, but whizz it around in the food processor for a minute or two to grind it to a finer powder.
- Egg yolk - this helps bind the dough together.
- Salt - this is optional, but in my opinion, a small amount of salt improves the flavour of the pastry.
- Water - depending on the size of the egg yolk you may need one or two tablespoons of ice-cold water to mix in with the pastry.
What to do
Sweet crust pastry
The pastry has to rest in the fridge for half an hour, so make this first.
Place the sugar and butter into the bowl of a food processor and whizz it around until well combined. You could also use a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon for this step.
Add the egg yolk and process for one minute or until the mixture is pale yellow and creamy.
Now mix in half the flour, then add the remainder and mix until it dough forms a shaggy ball. If it looks as though there is too much flour, add one or two tablespoons of ice-cold water.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it together into a flat disk shape.
Place the ball of dough into a plastic bag or cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to rest for half an hour.
Notes on the pastry
- When adding the water, add just enough to let the pastry come together. Do not add too much. Add the water one tablespoon at a time. If you can press the dough between your fingers and it sticks together, then it is ready.
- When pressing the pastry into a ball, handle the pastry as little as possible and do not knead.
- This is a very soft pastry and it must be left in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. This step is important. If you don't rest the pastry you will find it difficult to roll and it may crack.
- You can keep the pastry in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for 3 months. Allow the pastry to come back to room temperature before attempting to roll it out.
- You will probably find that this pastry sticks to the work surface and the rolling pin, so dust both lightly with flour before rolling.
Tip - whenever you separate eggs and don't know what to do with the egg white, just freeze it in an ice-cube tray. When you have sufficient egg whites you can defrost in the fridge and then use them to make meringues.
Assemble the mince pies
While the pastry is resting, you can make the filling.
Peel and grate the apple and combine it in a mixing bowl with the jar of mincemeat and the orange essence.
Take one-third of the pastry and roll it out to approximately one-eighths of an inch in thickness. Use a 3-inch (7cm) cutter to cut rounds from the pastry. Place the rounds into the holes of a greased 12-hole 1-inch deep muffin tray.
Repeat this step with the second third of pastry. You should make 18 rounds in total. The remaining third of the pastry will be used for the lids.
Place a tablespoon of filling into each pastry case. Do not overfill or the filling will bubble out as it bakes.
Using a 2.5-inch (6cm) cutter, cut rounds for the lids and brush the undersides of each lid with lightly beaten egg.
Place the lids (egg side down) on top of the pies. Use a fork to seal the edges and make holes in the top of each mince pie. Brush with lightly beaten egg, and optionally sprinkle with a little sugar.
Bake the pies in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the mince pies are golden. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool.
Don't allow the pies to overcook or the pastry will not be as soft as it should be.
Optionally you can sprinkle with icing sugar once the mince pies have cooled.
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FAQ
Mincemeat comes from the Latin word 'minutiare', which means to chop finely. A few hundred years ago, chopping meat and marinating it in a mixture of sugar and alcohol was a way of preserving it. Over time, the meat has been replaced with fruit, which we know today as mincemeat.
Yes, you can freeze these Christmas mince pies. I find the best way to do it is to arrange the baked pies on a baking tray and place them into the freezer until solid. Then you can just transfer them into a suitable container and freeze them for up to 6 months. Remove them from the freezer and let them come to room temperature on your counter and then either eat them cold or warm them in a hot oven for a few minutes.
You can store mince pies in a suitable container in the kitchen for 4 to 5 days. If you want to store them for longer then keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. After that, the pastry will be stale and unappealing.
Save for later
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Related recipes
Perhaps you'd like to try some of my other Christmas recipes:
📋The recipe
Christmas Mince Pies
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Food processor OR
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry cutter
- Jam Tart tin
Ingredients
Sweetcrust pastry
- 2½ cups / 375 grams plain flour/all-purpose flour sifted
- 8 ounces / 225 grams butter cubed
- 9 tablespoons / 125 grams caster sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons ice cold water if required
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 14 ounce / 400 grams fruit mincemeat large jar from supermarket
- 1 apple
- 1 teaspoon orange essence
- 1 small beaten egg to glaze
- Icing sugar to sprinkle (optional)
- Additional flour for rollling the pastry
Instructions
Make the sweetcrust pastry
- Place the sugar and butter into the bowl of a food processor and whizz it around until well combined. You could also use a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon for this step.8 ounces / 225 grams butter, 9 tablespoons / 125 grams caster sugar
- Add the egg yolk and process for one minute or until the mixture is pale yellow and creamy.1 large egg yolk
- Now mix in the salt and half the flour, then add the remainder and mix until it dough forms a shaggy ball. If it looks as though there is too much flour, add one or two tablespoons of ice-cold water.2½ cups / 375 grams plain flour/all-purpose flour, 1 to 2 tablespoons ice cold water, ½ teaspoon salt
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it together into a flat disk shape.
- Place the ball of dough into a plastic bag or cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to rest for half an hour.
Assemble and fill the mince pies
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400 F.
- Peel and grate the apple and combine it in a mixing bowl with the jar of mincemeat and the orange essence.14 ounce / 400 grams fruit mincemeat, 1 apple, 1 teaspoon orange essence
- Grease a 12-hole tart pan with a little butter, or spray lightly with an oil spray.
- Take one-third of the pastry and roll it out to approximately one-eighths of an inch in thickness. Use additional flour to sprinkle on the work surface if necessary. Use a 3-inch (7cm) cutter to cut rounds from the pastry. Place the rounds into the holes of a greased 12-hole jam-tart tray.Additional flour for rollling the pastry
- Repeat this step with the second third of pastry. You should make 18 rounds in total. The remaining third of the pastry will be used for the lids. Use the scraps of leftover pastry if necessary.
- Place a tablespoon of filling into each pastry case. Do not overfill or the filling will bubble out as it bakes.
- Roll out the remaining one-third pastry. Using a 2½-inch (6cm) cutter, cut rounds for the lids and brush the undersides of each lid with lightly beaten egg.
- Place the lids (egg side down) on top of the pies. Use a fork to seal the edges and make holes in the top of each mince pie. Brush with lightly beaten egg, and optionally sprinkle with a little sugar.1 small beaten egg
- Bake the pies in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the mince pies are golden. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool.
- Optionally sprinkle with icing sugar once cooled.Icing sugar
Notes
- When adding the water, add just enough to let the pastry come together. Do not add too much. Add the water one tablespoon at a time. If you can press the dough between your fingers and it sticks together, then it is ready.
- When pressing the pastry into a ball, handle the pastry as little as possible and do not knead.
- This is a very soft pastry and it must be left in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. This step is important. If you don't rest the pastry you will find it difficult to roll and it may crack.
- You can keep the pastry in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for 3 months. Allow the pastry to come back to room temperature before attempting to roll it out.
- You will probably find that this pastry sticks to the work surface and the rolling pin, so dust both lightly with flour before rolling.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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