Mince pie crumble has all the mince pie flavours that you know and love in a mince pie but without the fuss. There's lovely soft buttery pastry and fruity mincemeat, but there's no rolling pastry and forming into individual pies. Just mix, layer, bake, slice and enjoy!
Much as I love a homemade Christmas mince pie, I have to say I find it quite tedious to roll the pastry, fill the pies, cover them with lids and seal them to ensure the mincemeat doesn't leak out all over the baking tray. So I adapted my recipe for a coconut jam slice to make mince pie crumble this year.
I must say I was impressed with the result!
Lovely soft buttery pastry topped with a layer of fruity mincemeat and covered in a crunchy crumble but with none of the fuss! You just mix the pastry and press it into a baking tin (no need to roll)! Then cover with a layer of fruity Christmas mincemeat and top with a crumble made by rubbing flour, butter and sugar together.
Once baked, all you have to do is let it cool then slice it into bars.
If you want a little extra sweetness you might like to dust the mince pie fingers with icing sugar before serving. I don't bother because I think they are sweet enough.
Let me show you how easy it is to make a mince pie crumble!
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Ingredients
This recipe will make a 7" x 11" mince pie crumble, which you can cut into 18 to 20 bars.
- Fruit mincemeat - I used shop-bought mincemeat, but if you want to make your own you can try this recipe for homemade mincemeat over on the Only Crumbs Remain website.
- Butter - you can use either salted or unsalted butter depending on your preference. The butter will be used both in the pastry and in the crumble.
- Egg - this should be at room temperature.
- Sugar - once again used in both the pastry and the crumble. I used caster sugar but you could use white granulated sugar instead.
- Flour - this is plain flour (not self-raising). You will need flour for both the pastry and the crumble topping.
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements for making mince pie crumble on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Base and filling
Step 1: Place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand-mixer or wooden spoon until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the egg.
Step 3: Continue to beat until the egg has been incorporated.
Step 4: Tip in the flour.
Step 5: Mix the flour into the dough with a spatula, then continue to use your hands until the dough forms a soft, sticky ball.
Step 6: Use your fingers to press the dough into an 11" x 7" baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment.
Step 7: Spread the mincemeat evenly on top of the dough.
Mince pie crumble topping
Step 8: Place the flour, butter and sugar into a mixing bowl.
Step 9: Use your fingers to rub the mixture together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Step 10: Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the mincemeat.
Step 11: Bake in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Allow the cake to cool, then remove it from the baking tin, peel away the baking parchment and discard. Cut the cake in half lengthwise and slice each half into 1-inch wide pieces.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your mince pie crumble recipe always turns out perfectly:
- It is quite important that you line your baking tray with baking parchment so that the sticky mincemeat does not caramelise on the edges of the tray. You will find it much easier to remove the mince pie crumble slice from the pan if you have lined it first.
- The butter will cream more easily with the sugar if you allow it to come to room temperature before mixing.
- When mixing the flour into the dough, use a spatula until the mixture comes together in a shaggy ball, then press the mixture with clean hands until it forms a soft ball.
- The pastry base is soft and quite sticky so I wouldn't recommend you try to roll it. You can simply press it as evenly as possible into the base of the baking tin.
- When spreading the mincemeat onto the base, be generous. Also ensure you spread the mixture right up to the edges of the pan.
- To make the crumble topping you simply rub the ingredients together with your fingertips. If you have a food processor you could use that instead.
- The crumble is supposed to be a breadcrumb-like consistency - don't be tempted to add any liquid. The crumble will set in the oven as the butter and sugar melt and combine with the flour.
- Bake the mince pie crumble just long enough for the surface to turn golden. The crumble topping will be very soft when you remove the cake from the oven but it will harden as the cake cools.
- Allow the cake to cool before attempting to slice it or you may find that it crumbles. You may find it easier to cut the cake using a serrated knife.
Serving suggestions
I normally serve slices of mince pie crumble at room temperature with a cup of tea or coffee. If you prefer to serve it warm you can pop the slices in the microwave for a few seconds. Don't leave it in the microwave for too long though or you may find the mincemeat mixture turns to sticky toffee.
Mince pie crumble also makes a delicious dessert when served smothered in custard or topped with a scoop of ice cream.
Equipment
The size of the baking tray is quite important for this recipe as the mince pie bake is quite deep once all the layers have been added. The tray I used was 7" x 11" (18 cm x 28 cm) with a depth of just over an inch or 2.5 cm. You could use a deeper tray, but a flatter tray won't have the depth to hold layers in place.
If you have a food processor you can certainly use it for making the crumble topping, otherwise simply rub the butter into the flour and sugar using your fingertips.
The pastry base mixes in minutes so I wouldn't bother using a food processor to mix that. An electric hand-mixer or wooden spoon will do the job in no time.
You will also need a mixing bowl.
Storage
Store the sliced mince pie crumble in an air-tight container in the kitchen or pantry. There is no need to refrigerate.
The assembled (unbaked) mince pie crumble can be frozen for up to 2 months. I would be inclined to assemble it in a disposable aluminium tray if I intended to freeze it. Bake from frozen but add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
You can freeze the baked mince pie crumble for 3 to 4 months. Allow it to cool and remove it from the baking tray. Discard the baking parchment and wrap the unsliced cake in a layer of tin foil and one or two layers of plastic wrap.
To use, allow the frozen cake to defrost on the counter and then slice and serve.
FAQ
Despite its name, fruit mincemeat does not contain meat. It is a mixture of chopped dried fruit such as raisins, currants and sultanas, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. You may notice little white specks in your mincemeat; this is suet, which is a type of animal fat, and which adds richness to the mixture. Mincemeat can also contain alcohol such as brandy or rum as a preservative.
Mincemeat is particularly popular around the festive season and is the primary ingredient in Christmas mince pies.
You can mix both the pastry and the crumble up to 3 days ahead of time and store them in separate plastic bags in the refrigerator. When you are ready to make the cake, assemble and bake according to the recipe instructions.
Save for later
If you would like to make this mince pie crumble why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click 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
Visit my Christmas recipes page for other festive treats. Here are a few that you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Mince pie crumble
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Baking tray 7" x 11" x 1" deep / 18 cm x 28 cm x 2.5 cm deep
- Baking parchment
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Electric hand mixer OR
- Wooden spoon
- Food processor optional
Ingredients
Pastry base
- ½ cup / 113 grams butter
- ½ cup / 100 grams caster sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1½ cups / 210 grams plain or all-purpose flour not self-raising flour
Filling
- 14 ounces / 400 grams fruit mincemeat roughly 1¾ cups
Crumble topping
- 1 cup / 140 grams plain or all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup / 80 grams butter
- ¼ cup / 50 grams caster sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
Pastry base
- Place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand-mixer or wooden spoon until light and fluffy.½ cup / 113 grams butter, ½ cup / 100 grams caster sugar
- Add the egg and continue to beat until well incorporated.1 medium egg
- Tip in the flour.1½ cups / 210 grams plain or all-purpose flour
- Mix the flour into the dough with a spatula, then continue to use your hands until the dough forms a soft, sticky ball.
- Use your fingers to press the dough into an 11" x 7" baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment.
Filling
- Spread the mincemeat evenly on top of the dough.14 ounces / 400 grams fruit mincemeat
Crumble topping and bake
- Place the flour, butter and sugar into a mixing bowl.1 cup / 140 grams plain or all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup / 80 grams butter, ¼ cup / 50 grams caster sugar
- Use your fingers to rub the mixture together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the mincemeat.
- Bake in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow the cake to cool, then remove it from the baking tin, peel away the baking parchment and discard. Cut the cake in half lengthwise and slice each half into 1-inch wide pieces.
Notes
- It is quite important that you line your baking tray with baking parchment so that the sticky mincemeat does not caramelise on the edges of the tray. You will find it much easier to remove the mince pie crumle from the pan if you have lined it first.
- The butter will cream more easily with the sugar if you allow it to come to room temperature before mixing.
- When mixing the flour into the dough, use a spatula until the mixture comes together in a shaggy ball, then press the mixture with clean hands until it forms a soft ball.
- The pastry base is soft and quite sticky so I wouldn't recommend you try to roll it. You can simply press it as evenly as possible into the base of the baking tin.
- When spreading the mincemeat onto the base, be generous. Also ensure you spread the mixture right up to the edges of the pan.
- To make the crumble topping you simply rub the ingredients together with your fingertips. If you have a food processor you could use that instead.
- The crumble is supposed to be a breadcrumb-like consistency - don't be tempted to add any liquid. The crumble will set in the oven as the butter and sugar melt and combine with the flour.
- Bake the mince pie crumble just long enough for the surface to start to turn golden. The crumble topping will be very soft when you remove the cake from the oven but it will harden as the cake cools.
- Allow the cake to cool before attempting to slice it or you may find that it crumbles. You may find it easier to cut the cake using a serrated knife.
- Store the baked mince pie crumble in an air-tight container in the kitchen or pantry. There is no need to refrigerate.
- The assembled (unbaked) mince pie crumble can be frozen for up to 2 months. I would be inclined to assemble it in a disposable aluminium tray if I intended to freeze it. Bake from frozen but add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
- You can freeze the baked mince pie crumble for 3 to 4 months. Allow it to cool and remove it from the baking tray. Discard the baking parchment and wrap the unsliced cake in a layer of tin foil and one or two layers of plastic wrap.
- To use, allow the frozen cake to defrost on the counter and then slice and serve.
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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