With only 3 ingredients and 20 minutes in the oven, these Christmas mince pinwheels are the easiest mince pies you will ever make. And what's more, they taste so good I can practically guarantee you'll be making this recipe more than once in the run-up to Christmas!
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Christmas mince pies
Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a mince pie (or two, or three) to snack on. I always look forward to the first mince pies being sold in the shops, and these days they seem to be appearing earlier and earlier. This year, I spotted the first ones on sale in September!
I love biting through the soft pastry shell and getting my first taste of the tangy, fruity mincemeat filling.
But much as I love them, they are a bit of a faff to make. It seems much easier to buy a box in the supermarket!
So this year I decided that instead of mince pies, I was going to make Christmas mince pinwheels. And it was a revelation.
So easy! I can't believe I have never done this before!
And they taste just as good (or perhaps even better) than the real deal. Crispy puff pastry wrapped around a layer of fruity mincemeat. Oh! they are so good!
Let me show you!
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a baking tray and a roll of baking parchment. Believe me, cooked mincemeat can be quite sticky and if you line your baking tray with baking parchment before putting it in the oven you'll save yourself at least half an hour of trying to clean the sticky tray.
If you buy a roll of puff pastry then you are good to go, but if you have a block of pastry you will need a rolling pin to roll it out into a thin rectangle.
For applying egg-wash to the mince pinwheels you will need a silicone pastry brush.
Ingredients
**You can find the full recipe for making Christmas mince pinwheels on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
This recipe makes 16 to 18 Christmas mince pinwheels.
Puff pastry - you can buy this pastry ready-rolled, which is the easiest option, or you can buy a block of puff pastry and roll it yourself.
Fruit mincemeat - you can buy jars of this in the baking aisle at your local supermarket. The jar I bought was 400 grams by weight (that's around 14 ounces).
Egg - lightly beaten with a tablespoon of milk, and used to seal the pastry roll, and also to brush over the pinwheels before putting them in the oven.
What to do
It couldn't be simpler!
Allow the pastry to come to room temperature (to prevent cracking) and then unroll it onto the paper that it was wrapped in.
If you have a block of pastry, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle approximately 12" x 15" in size.
Spread the mincemeat onto the pastry in a thin layer.
I used approximately three-quarters of a jar, but if you've rolled the pastry yourself, you may find you need the entire jar.
Don't spread the mincemeat more thickly than in the picture or it will leak out all over the place and you'll end up with a sticky mess.
Roll the pastry into a sausage shape, starting on the long side. Use the paper to help you to roll it.
Brush the edge of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg and milk to help it seal.
Trim the edge from each end of the pastry roll to neaten it up a bit.
Don't throw the offcuts away - put them on the baking tray for a chef's treat.
Cut the pastry roll into slices and arrange them on your parchment-lined baking tray. I got 17 slices plus both ends.
Try to push them into roughly circular shapes, but don't get too hung up about it, they will magically spread out and shape up as they bake.
Brush the top and sides of each slice with the beaten egg.
Place the pinwheels into a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave on the tray to cool.
Serving and storage
If you want to make them look even more festive, you can dust them with icing sugar (or powdered sugar) before serving.
You can store these Christmas mince pinwheels in an airtight container in a cool place in the kitchen for 4 days before they start to turn stale.
I like to eat them at room temperature, but you can heat them for a few seconds in the microwave if you like to eat them warm.
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Christmas mince pinwheels FAQ
For those of you who don't know, fruit mincemeat is simply a mixture of dried fruit such as currants, sultanas and raisins, mixed with a little brandy or other alcohol and a small amount of fat (in the form of suet).
In medieval England, this was used as a way of preserving meat, but over the years the meat has been removed from the recipe, leaving only the fruit.
These days, fruit mincemeat forms the filling in traditional Christmas mince pies.
Yes, you can freeze the assembled mince pinwheels on the baking tray and once frozen, transfer them to a plastic container. You can freeze them for up to three months.
To cook, arrange the frozen pinwheels on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake from frozen. You may have to add a couple of minutes to the baking time to compensate.
Save for later
If you'd like to make these Christmas fruit pinwheels yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
If this isn't quite what you are looking for, why not take a look at some of my other easy Christmas recipes:
📋The recipe
Christmas mince pinwheels
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Baking parchment
- Rolling Pin optional
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry store-bought
- 14 ounces / 400 gram jar fruit mincemeat you may not need all of it
- 1 small egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Allow the pastry to come to room temperature (to prevent cracking) and then unroll it onto the paper that it was wrapped in.If you have a block of pastry, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle approximately 12" x 15" in size.1 roll puff pastry
- Spread the mincemeat onto the pastry in a thin layer.I used approximately three-quarters of a jar, but if you've rolled the pastry yourself, you may find you need the entire jar.14 ounces / 400 gram jar fruit mincemeat
- Roll the pastry into a sausage shape, starting on the long side. Use the paper to help you to roll it.
- Brush the edge of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg and milk to help it seal.1 small egg
- Trim the edge from each end of the pastry roll to neaten it up a bit.Don't throw the offcuts away - put them on the baking tray for a chef's treat.
- Cut the pastry roll into half-inch thick slices and arrange them on your parchment-lined baking tray.Try to push them into roughly circular shapes, but don't get too hung up about it, they will magically spread out and shape up as they bake.Brush the top and sides of each slice with the beaten egg.
- Place the pinwheels into a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown.Remove from the oven and leave on the tray to cool.
- If desired, sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
Notes
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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