Description
These Easy Peasy Mini Mince Pies are a delightful festive treat, featuring buttery, crumbly pastry filled with sweet and spiced mincemeat. Perfectly sized as bite-sized delights, these homemade pies are fun to make, especially with kids, and are ideal for holiday gatherings. The star-shaped pastry tops add a charming touch, and they can be enjoyed warm or cold, plain or with cream or custard.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 350 g plain flour (all purpose flour), plus extra for dusting
- 175 g cold butter, cut into 1cm / ½ inch cubes, plus extra for greasing
- 6-8 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 250 g mincemeat (Marks and Spencer Classic Mincemeat recommended)
Finishing
- A little milk, for brushing
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare your equipment and preheat oven: Grease the holes of 2 cupcake trays (24 holes total) with butter using baking paper, then preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas mark 7 / 425°F.
- Make the pastry base: Place the flour in a bowl and add the cold butter cubes. Rub the butter and flour together with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add water to bind the dough: Stir in one tablespoon of cold water at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until the mixture just starts to come together—usually after 6-8 tablespoons. Avoid adding too much water.
- Form the dough ball: Once the pastry begins to come together, stop adding water and knead the mixture gently with your hands to form a ball of dough.
- Roll out the pastry: Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough as thinly as possible. You may find it easier to split the dough into two balls and roll them separately depending on your surface size.
- Cut and fill pastry bases: Using a circle-shaped cutter, cut out 24 circles and place each into the greased holes of the cupcake trays. Spoon 1 teaspoon of mincemeat into the center of each pastry circle.
- Make and add star tops: Gather the leftover pastry, roll it into a ball, and roll thinly again. Cut out 24 stars with a star-shaped cutter. Place one star on top of each filled mince pie, pressing gently to adhere.
- Brush with milk: Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops with milk to help the pastry brown nicely during baking.
- Bake the mince pies: Place the cupcake trays in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.
- Cool and remove: Remove the pies from the oven and carefully lever them out of the cupcake tins with a dessert spoon onto a wire rack to cool. Be cautious as they will be very hot.
- Dust with icing sugar: While still warm, sift icing sugar evenly over the mince pies using a sieve or dredger.
- Serve and store: Enjoy your mince pies warm or cold, alone or with cream or custard. Once completely cooled, store any leftovers in an airtight container or cake tin. They freeze well for future enjoyment.
Notes
- These star-topped mini mince pies are not only delicious but also very easy to make, making them a wonderful activity to do with children.
- The pies freeze beautifully, allowing you to enjoy homemade mincemeat treats anytime.
- Be careful not to add too much cold water when forming the pastry to keep it flaky and crumbly.
- If you prefer, you can sieve the flour before use, but it’s optional.
- Use a dessert spoon to safely lever the pies out of the tins after baking to avoid burning your hands.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini mince pie
- Calories: 141 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 16 mg
