To me and millions of Brits, nothing says Christmas quite like a mince pie! Whilst I would gladly eat them all year round, they are saved for a Christmas tradition. They are a sweet and spice-filled tasty treat. You can buy pre-made mince pies quite easily these days but, in my mind, nothing beats homemade mince pies with homemade mincemeat. For ease, I use store-bought pastry. Don’t be misled, there is NO meat in mincemeat!
Let’s get baking Mince Pies…
Ingredients
1 batch easy homemade mincemeat
1 packet pastry (I use Trader Joe’s pie crust pastry)
Granulated sugar
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F and grease a 12-count muffin tin.
- Flour countertop and rolling pin and roll out the pastry to about 1/8-inch thickness.
- Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 12 circles and press them into the bottom and up the sides of each tin. The pastry should only come about halfway up the side.
- Fill the pastry with mincemeat to just below the top of the pastry.
- Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut out stars to place on the tops of the pies.
- Sprinkle a little granulated sugar on the top of each tart and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The pies are done when the edges and tops are golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar to make them look even more attractive.
Tips & Bits
- Nothing beats homemade mincemeat but if you don’t have the time or desire to make your own, Robertson’s make lovely jarred mincemeat.
- I use Trader Joe’s Pie Pastry. The box comes with two sheets of pastry and I find one sheet is the perfect amount for 12 pies.