Make your own mince pies for Christmas without rolling out a single piece of pastry! These mince pies are better than even the best shop bought ones. After making these, shop bought versions will only disappoint.
I have made different recipes over the years but this is by far my favourite version and also the easiest. I have spent hours rolling out pastry for cases and pastry for lids and I just get fed up towards the end. In the name of making everything as easy and handy as possible I have come up with this version that speeds up the process and in my opinion improves on the traditional version.
Mince Pies for Christmas – The Pastry
The first secret is the lovely crumbly pastry. The recipe for my rich shortcrust pastry can be found here. I was given this recipe by a chef colleague over 20 years ago and I have used it for everything since. I never make a traditional pastry anymore and after you’ve used this you’ll see why. The recipe uses no water whatsoever and is buttery, rich and crumbly – almost like shortbread. It can be used for sweet and savoury applications – just leave out the sugar. And takes well to the addition of dried herbs or grated cheese for an extra savoury flavour. Think cheddar and chives for an extra level of flavour when making a quiche.
And I promised no rolling out remember……..
I had a wooden tool with two different ends shaped as different sized cupcakes connected to a dowel which I could use to press down into a ball of pastry in a muffin tin. The wooden cupcake moulded the pastry into a case shape, perfect for filling with lovely goodies. But alas I cannot find it, and think I must have gave it to someone. Anyway I had to improvise and I found that this wooden pounder for sauerkraut (also known as a pickle packer) is a great replacement!
I just roll my pastry into walnut sized balls – it can take a few goes to get the ball size right – and press the pickle packer down on it. This forces the pastry to rise up around it and form the case. You have to give it a bit of muscle to persuade it, but after a while it’s easy.
Mince Pies for Christmas – The Filling
This is where I cheat (again). I have never made my own mince meat filling! I am not the type to prepare months in advance of anything. December 1st comes and I start thinking “I must make some mince pies for Christmas” and usually it takes another week to get myself some extra time to fit it in. So I definitely don’t want to be squeezing in time to make the filling as well. Especially as it’s prep time falls in the middle of my already busy preserving season, looking after all the lovely vegetables from the garden. They take priority as I’ve put so much work into them all year. I buy a good quality mince meat from the shop – Chivers or Lakeshore are lovely and Dunnes Stores even do a version in their Extra Special range that has added chocolate for an extra indulgence.
Mince Pies for Christmas – The Topping
This is where it gets really easy and even more flavourful. I love the taste of almond but admittedly it has been an acquired taste. It has grown on me over the years. So this topping is an almond frangipane topping of sorts. The same or similar topping to that of a Bakewell tart. It has the added bonus that it can just be spooned on top of the pies so no rolling out pastry again for the tops! Nice one! and you’re welcome 🙂 So just imagine all that lovely crumbly, buttery pastry, bittersweet mince pie filling that bursts in your mouth and soft, almondy cake to finish – delicious.
Warning…..
The only downside to this recipe is your family will demand that you make mince pies for Christmas every year and even get very disappointed if you dare to not make them. So be prepared – this will be an annual task from now on. Me being me, I now make four times the recipe and freeze two dozen to take out once Christmas actually arrives. There have been too many Christmas Eves where I had none left to put out for Santa and he was very disappointed. They also keep very well just in an airtight tin or container. If you make them at the beginning of December they will still be good on Christmas week. Especially if you liven them up in the oven, air fryer or even the microwave. Careful with the microwave though – the filling can get scalding hot and burn really easily. 20/30 seconds is plenty.
Tasty Mince Pies
Equipment
- 1 (or 2) 12 hole Muffin Tin Two tins are better if you have them so they can all be done at once but one will suffice
- 1 Pastry Tamper or Sauerkraut packer
Ingredients
- 16 oz rich shortcrust pastry (click link above for recipe)
- 1-2 380g Jars of premade Mince Meat
- 6 tbsp melted butter
- 3 tbsp icing sugar (confectioners sugar) for decoration (optional)
- 3 tbsp Flaked Almonds Optional
Frangipane Topping
- 200 g Butter Melted and cooled
- 4 eggs beaten
- 6-8 drops Almond Extract
- 200 g Ground Almonds
- 200 g Semolina
- 200 g Caster Sugar
Instructions
To make the pastry cases
- Brush each muffin hole with a generous amount of butter
- Start by rolling out pieces of pastry into walnut size pieces. Press them into the tin with the pickle packer so that the pastry is forced up the sides of the wooden tool, creating a pie bottom. It will take a few attempts to get this right. You want the pastry to be about 1/2 to 3/4 cm thick. Having two muffin tins would help here so that you can get all the pastry cases formed at once, otherwise, you'll have to work in batches as the recipe makes 18-20 depending on how big you make the pastry balls.
- Add 2 generous teaspoons of mincemeat filling to each pastry case.
To make the Frangipane topping
- Add cooled, melted butter, eggs and almond extract to a mixing bowl. You can use a stand mixer if you wish, but it's easy enough to mix by hand.
- Add in ground almonds, semolina and caster sugar and mix well. Don't allow to sit for too long, as the mixture becomes thicker over time and a little more difficult to spread in the pastry cases.
To finish assembling the mince pies
- Spoon 1.5-2 teaspoons of the frangipane mixture on top of the mincemeat in each pie. I suggest adding 1 teaspoon to start with as it will depend on how many pastry cases you end up with and then distribute the remainder out equally between the cases.
- Spread out the frangipane slightly to the edges. This just helps ensure the mincemeat doesn't bubble between the pastry and fillling, though this isn't the end of the world. It just makes them look a little more rustic.
- Sprinkle a few flaked almonds (optional) over the top of the frangipane mixture and press them in slightly.
- Bake in a 180C oven for 18-20 mins. They should be a pale golden brown.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then remove to a wire rack. Dust with a little icing sugar for that necessary tacky Christmas look.
- These are delicious warm straight from the oven. You could also reheat for 20 seconds in the microwave when necessary and they are also delicious served with a rich homemade custard.
Go to my YouTube Channel here or watch the video below.
