Mince pies
- Published: 5 Feb 18
- Updated: 26 May 25
Fancy making homemade mince pies this Christmas? Debbie Major’s traditional recipe sees homemade buttery apple mincemeat encased in a slightly citrusy shortcrust pastry.
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- Classic mince pie taste: This recipe combines melt-in-the-mouth pastry with lightly boozy homemade mincemeat, made from plump, juicy, good quality dried fruit and lightly toasted fresh almonds. A light dusting of icing sugar is the classic finishing touch. Be careful not to roll the pastry too thick or your pies will taste dry.
- Make ahead recipe: The mincemeat will keep in sterilised jars in the fridge for up to a month. The recipe makes enough for 48 mince pies, so you can enjoy fresh ones throughout the festive season. See Make Ahead below for tips on freezing the pastry or assembled mince pies – and how to sterilise jars.
Folklore tells us that mince pies are Father Christmas’ favourite nibble and that one or two should be left next to the chimney along with a glass of sherry‚ and a carrot for Rudolf, of course!
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Serves 24 -
Hands-on time 1 hour 15 min, simmering time 45 min, oven time 25 min, plus chilling
Before you start
Don’t use margarine for the pastry – butter has a far superior flavour.
Don’t over-work the pastry. Work swiftly so it stays cool enough to roll out and handle. Don’t over-knead the trimmings, either – the more you handle the dough, the tougher it will become.
Don’t overfill the pies or the filling will boil out and burn onto the tin (nightmare cleaning job).
Nutrition
- Calories
- 277kcals
- Fat
- 14.5g (7.2g saturated)
- Protein
- 3.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 31.7g (16.3g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.5g
- Salt
- 0.1g
delicious. tips
This recipe makes 1kg mincemeat (enough to make 48 mince pies or 24 mince pies plus this royal mincemeat pie). Double the pastry recipe to make 48 mince pies.
How to jazz up your mince pies
Use muffin tins for extra-deep mince pies, form with your hands into tiny turnovers, or make one-bite pies in mini patty tins for parties.Flavour the pastry in different ways: use lemon zest instead of orange; omit the zest and bind with iced water flavoured with a little vanilla extract; add a little ground mixed spice or cinnamon to the crumbed flour and butter before adding the liquid.
Use different types of pastry: filo, puff or rich, slightly sweet shortcrust.
Flavour the mincemeat in different ways: cranberry, port and pecan; stem ginger, whisky and apple; extra orange and Grand Marnier. Or just add a little marmalade, a few Kirsch-soaked cherries or a little finely chopped marzipan.
Instead of round pastry lids, top pies with cut-out pastry stars or holly leaves, or make lattice tops with pastry strips.
Slip 1 tsp sweetened cream cheese or brandy butter under the pastry lids before you bake the mince pies… Delicious!
Watch our perfect mince pies video:
The mincemeat: This will keep in sterilised jars in the fridge for up to a month. If you want a longer shelf life, omit the butter in step 1 and stir in 150g shredded suet with the sugar and almonds, then store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year.
The pastry: Freeze well wrapped in a layer of cling film, then in foil, for up to a month.
Assembled mince pies: Freeze uncooked mince pies in their trays, then pop out and pack into containers, between sheets of baking paper. Return to the freezer. Bake from frozen in buttered tins for the same amount of time as in step 5.
Learn how to sterilise jars with this video:
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