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Mince pies
Little pastry tarts filled with spiced fruit mincemeat
Mince pies are handed round with mulled drinks at every English Christmas gathering, from carol services to office parties, and children leave one out for Father Christmas. The mincemeat once held meat; this home-made version is all fruit, apple and spice, with vegetarian suet, and brandy is optional, so it can be alcohol-free. Chef's tip: make the mincemeat a week ahead so the flavours mellow; it keeps for months.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the mincemeat
For the pastry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 Bramley apple, 10 ½ oz mixed dried fruit, 1 ¾ oz mixed peel, 2 ⅝ oz vegetarian suet, 3 ½ oz dark muscovado sugar, 2 tsp mixed spice and 1 orange. Cover and leave for at least 12 hours, stirring once. Stir in the 3 tbsp brandy (or orange juice for alcohol-free) if using.
10 minStep 2: Rub the 8 oz cold butter into the 13 oz plain flour, stir in the 2 ⅝ oz caster sugar and bind with the 1 egg to a soft pastry. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
35 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll the pastry 3 mm thick, cut 24 rounds of 7.5 cm and press into two bun tins.
10 minStep 4: Fill each with a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat; a common mistake is overfilling, which boils over. Cut 24 smaller rounds or stars for the tops and press on.
10 minStep 5: Brush with 1 tbsp milk and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden.
20 minStep 6: Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, lift out and dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar. Serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mince pies take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of bramley apple?
- Pears, same amount.
- What can I use instead of dark muscovado sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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