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Discovering Mince Pies: A Sweet Taste of British Christmas
Before I met Peter, my British husband, I had no clue what mince pies were. And when I first heard the term “mincemeat,” I thought it involved actual meat. Imagine my surprise when I learned that mincemeat is actually a mix of spiced fruits—kind of like the filling in a fruitcake.
In the UK, it’s a beloved tradition to enjoy mince pies at Christmas and throughout the holiday season. Now, every year, I make them for our Christmas dinner to bring a piece of Peter’s motherland to our celebration. They’re surprisingly delicious, and even my mom has become a fan!
Bite-Sized Perfection
I love making these little treats in a mini muffin tin. The smaller size creates the perfect, poppable bite—just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth without being too rich. Plus, they look so cute on a holiday dessert platter!
The Best Way to Serve Them
Peter swears by serving mince pies with a generous pour of heavy cream, and I have to admit—I’m hooked, too. It’s like dipping cookies in milk, but a far more decadent and festive version. The buttery pastry and spiced fruit filling combined with the cool cream? Absolute holiday magic.
So, if you’re looking to add a little British flair to your Christmas table, give these mince pies a try. They might just become your new holiday tradition, too!
Mince Pies
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 375 g all-purpose flour
- 260 g unsalted butter, softened
- 125 g sugar
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 14.5 oz jar mincemeat
- 2 satsumas, segmented and then chopped
- 1 apple, peeled and minced
- 1 zest of a whole lemon
Ingredients:
- powder sugar
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- FLOUR MIX:In a mixing bowl, add flour and butter and mix together to a crumb consistency then stop. Do not overwork it.
- SUGAR MIX:Add sugar and 1 egg and mix together until creamy consistency.
- Fold and knead the pastry dough until it comes together in the mixing bowl. Form it into a round somewhat flattened ball. Be careful not to overmix.
- Wrap the pastry dough in saran wrap and chill in fridge for 10 minutes but certainly no more than 30 minutes otherwise it will harden too much to roll but if you do then just let it sit at room temperature so it softens a bit.
- While the pastry dough is chilling, in a bowl, add all the filling ingredients together. Set aside.
- Remove pastry dough from refrigerator. Flour surface area and using a rolling pin, roll out dough until it’s 1/8 inch thick. Make sure to roll rolling pin in one direction. Never roll the pin back and forth on the dough as it will pull the dough apart.
- You will need to re-roll the dough to get enough cut outs.
- Butter muffin pan.
- Using a round 2 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut out 24 pieces. Place 24 cutouts as a base in a mini muffin pan. You might need to gently insert it into the muffin holes.
- Then with a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out 24 pieces and this will serve as the lid/top of the pies.
- Add 1 tsp filling to each hole, then brush the edge of each pie with the beaten egg. Gently press pie with the top/lid cutouts to seal it.
- Make a small x in the tops.
- Place muffin tray in oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until pies are golden brown. Check in the 15-20 minutes mark as every oven temperature is different.
- Remove from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes and then gently remove the pies from the pan. It’s important to do this when it’s still warm as it’s easier to remove the pies from the pan by gently lifting the sides and pull out.
- NOTE: it’s okay if your pie doesn’t look perfect when forming it as once it’s baked it will be beautiful.
- Dust powder sugar on top then serve!
Nutrition
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