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Easy and delicious homemade mince pies with a homemade shortcrust pastry, and homemade mincemeat filling! Delicious festive treat!

Festive bakes

So when I ask for recipe ideas, I always get quite a few of each… and I love it. Before I ever published them, my chocolate chip NYC cookies was probably the most highly requested bake I had ever done… but that has 100% been overtaken by these; mince pies. 

I know it is still only November, but I honestly start the festive bakes as early as I possibly can. I am fully obsessed with Christmas, and as last Christmas was a little bit awful for everyone, I may have gone slightly overboard this year and my Christmas trees are already up. 

Mince pies

One little tradition I do have however is Christmas films, Christmas music… AND MINCE PIES! This year is the year of finally posting my homemade mince pie recipe for you guys, as I cannot cope with the messages anymore requesting them haha! 

I wanted to make this recipe as homemade as possible to make it worth posting, however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using shop-bought products to make this. You can use shortcrust pastry you buy at the shop and simply roll it out the same (buy a 500g block), or even use shop-bought mincemeat.

Pastry

SO… for these mince pies… I make a sweet shortcrust pastry. I use the same pastry base really for all of my base recipes as I just love it! It’s an easy pastry to make in my opinion – and worth the effort if you want to go all the way! Shortcrust pastry is good to make as well as it’s far less stressful than other types like puff pastry. 

If you want a post with how to bake the shortcrust pastry for one large tart – then use my salted caramel chocolate tart post. The timings, the tin I recommend etc is all on there! These ones, however, you need a 12 hole muffin tin like this one to be able to make these mince pies. 

When you make the pastry you can either cheat and use a food processor to blitz the ingredients together, but honestly, it’s so easy with a large bowl! You need to add COLD and cubed unsalted butter into a bowl, as mentioned below – and rub it all together with your fingertips.

It’s like making a gingerbread dough – you want the mixture to rub together to resemble bread crumbs, and then add the ‘wet’ ingredients and mix to make the dough. 

Tools and tips

I use these round metal cutters for my pastry base and top – I like use the fluted side for a pretty pattern, but this is completely up to you. For the base of the mince pies, I use the 11cm size cutter, and for the top I use the 7.5cm cutter! As an additional extra to use up the pastry, I used a small heart cutter

I don’t ever see the issue with using shop-bought products – this post may be here for you purely for the timings of how long to bake the mince pies for, or how to roll them out – and that is totally okay! You can even buy shop-bought mincemeat, and then add in the spices for an extra kick – it’s up to you! 

Mincemeat

For these mince pies, you don’t have to bake the pastry blind, so that skips an often annoying step! You just need to make the mincemeat. It’s often better to make the mincemeat first so it’s cooled and ready to bake – so there is a top tip for you. Also, the mincemeat lasts for up to six months in a sealed sterilised jar! 

The mincemeat is surprisingly easy to make – add all the ingredients into a pan and heat and melt and stir until combined. Stir in the brandy, and you are done! Once it’s cooled, it’s ready to bake into the mince pies! 

Serving mince pies

I love serving my mince pies with double cream, as it just looks so good, and it’s the classic serving choice for me – but you can use clotted cream, ice cream or even custard! It’s entirely up to you. Enjoy! x

Mince Pies

Easy and delicious homemade Mince Pies with a homemade shortcrust pastry, and homemade mincemeat filling! Delicious festive treat!
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Category: Christmas
Type: Desserts
Keyword: Christmas
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12 pies
Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

Mincemeat

  • 75 g raisins
  • 75 g currants
  • 75 g sultanas
  • 75 g dried cranberries
  • 50 g mixed peel
  • 150 g cooking apple (finely chopped)
  • 75 g unsalted butter
  • 125 g light brown soft sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 150 ml brandy (or apple juice for alcohol free)

Pastry

  • 350 g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
  • 200 g unsalted butter (cold & cubed)
  • 25 g icing sugar
  • 1 medium egg

Extras

  • 1 egg beaten

Instructions

Mincemeat

  • Add the raisins, currants, sultanas, dried cranberries, mixed peel, chopped cooking apple, unsalted butter, light brown soft sugar, ground cinnamon, mixed spice and lemon zest to a large pan.
  • Heat the mixture together on a low heat until the unsalted butter has melted and the mixture has mixed together.
  • Turn up the heat to a medium heat and simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.
  • Once cooled, stir through the brandy.

Pastry

  • Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan, and grease and flour a 12 hole muffin tin with butter and flour.
  • Add the flour to a bowl with the cold and cubed unsalted butter into the bowl, and rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Add the icing sugar and 1 medium egg into the mixture and bring together with a spatula and your hand until smooth. Knead slightly in the bowl if needed.
  • Roll the pastry mix out onto a lightly floured surface to the thickness of 3-4mm.
  • Cut out 12, 11cm circles using a pastry cutter, and press these carefully into the muffin tray. 
  • Cut out 12 7cm circles using the rest of the pastry, and any decorations for your mince pies if you like.

Assembly

  • In each pastry case, add 45-50g of mincemeat.
  • Top with the smaller pastry circles, and seal around the edges.
  • Add any extra pastry decorations.
  • Brush the top of the mince pies with beaten egg to get a golden glaze.
  • Bake the mince pies in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
  • Leave the mince pies to cool in tthe tin for 10 minutes, and then carefully remove to cool fully.

Notes

  • The mincemeat will last in sealed and sterilised jars for up to six months. 
  • The mince pies will last 3-4 days. 
  • The pastry can be kept and frozen for up to 3 months. 
  • You can use shopbought shortcrust pastry instead - I recommend the 500g packets. 
  • You can also use shopbought mincemeat instead! 
  • This mincemeat is based on the lovely recipe from Mary Berry with some changes! 
  • For alcohol free, use something such as apple juice. 
  • I use this muffin tin for this recipe
  • I use these round cutters
  • I used these heart cutters 

ENJOY!

Find my other recipes on my Recipes Page!

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J x

© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.

45 Comments

  1. Bev on December 9, 2023 at 8:39 am

    Hello, if I make mini mince pies should I bake them for less time or on a lower temperature? Thank you

  2. Anna on November 29, 2023 at 2:42 pm

    Silly question maybe but, how exactly do you ‘seal around the edges’? I tried pushing the pastry up against the side but I’ve had a number of leakages (perhaps to much liquid in my filling but just want to make sure it’s not my poor sealing technique) 😊

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 1, 2023 at 11:38 am

      This is likely over filled like you say, but you can use a fork, or pinch the pastry x



  3. Donna on November 26, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    Hi Jane
    Will it be ok if I use smaller hole tins for the mince pies or will it alter the oven timing, also is the pastry “sweet shortcrust”.
    Thankyou
    Donna

  4. Mark on October 24, 2023 at 8:56 pm

    What about one with a sweet pastry instead?

  5. Jessica on October 5, 2023 at 1:30 pm

    Could I please ask how long the mincemeat will last in the fridge not it a sterilised jar?

  6. alison on November 20, 2022 at 11:59 am

    Hi, can i use just raisins, currants and sultanas not a fan of cranberries and mixed peel and have no apples in. x

  7. Julie on November 8, 2022 at 5:25 pm

    5 stars
    I used orange juice, doubled the recipe but it’s so sweet, what can I add to take the sweetness away ?

  8. Shannon on October 17, 2022 at 8:38 am

    Could I use puff pastry for this mince meat recipe? Thanks

  9. EmmaG on December 23, 2021 at 9:23 pm

    Hi, I’ve not made pastry before and I’m not sure what I’ve done but the pastry ended up very crumbly and kept breaking. I didn’t knead the pastry, is this where I’ve gone wrong?

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 30, 2021 at 1:11 pm

      Hiya! Sometimes you do need to knead it to bring the pastry together. Hope this helps! x



  10. Karen Jacobs on December 12, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    Hi lovely lady, I’m impatient and haven’t got any lemons in, just a lonely satsuma, could I leave out the citrus or just stir some through when I’ve been shopping tomorrow? X
    This will be my second lot I’ve made! X

  11. Carl on December 6, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    Hello I’m going to make these to take to work but need 24 would you recommend just doubling the ingredients or making 2 lots. Love your blog and really looking forward to trying these out.

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 7, 2021 at 12:47 pm

      Yes just double the ingredients! Hope this helps x



  12. Kelly on December 5, 2021 at 9:23 pm

    5 stars
    I just have to say, wow!!
    Will never have shop brought ones again. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 6, 2021 at 10:32 am

      Yaaaay I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much, enjoy! x



  13. Rachel on December 5, 2021 at 10:21 am

    Hi Jane,
    I need to make something Gluten and dairy free for an event and the people who are going were feeling sad that they rarely got mince pies the other day. Is there a possible gluten and dairy free way of making the pastry that would work? I’m going to do a cheesecake with dairy free cheese and cream and gluten free digestive as well – I already know this one works!
    Thank you so much

  14. Sylvia on December 4, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    Hi Jane,
    Looking forward to making your Christmas mince pies.
    I don’t like peel, so could I leave it out or should I increase the amount of other fruit I put put in? Or can I put nuts in, if so which ones would you recommend?

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 7, 2021 at 12:17 pm

      Hiya! You can replace the peel with anything you like really, just make sure its chopped finely! Hope this helps, enjoy! x



  15. Julie on December 1, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    Hi Jane.
    I made the mincemeat for your mince pies and followed the recipe. I put in 150ml of brandy and it is now quite liquid. Should it be 15ml not 150ml?

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 2, 2021 at 3:03 pm

      Hiya! This is not a mistake – the recipe is correct. Try letting it sit for a while and it should soak in. Hope this helps! x



    • Olivia on December 10, 2021 at 10:25 pm

      Hi, the same happened to me! I ended up boiling it for 10 mins and adding extra sugar, hoping that’ll fix it!



  16. Florence Starkey on November 29, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    Thankyou Jane made them today followed your recipe to the letter only exception I used shop bought mincemeat only because I did not have all of the dried fruit. Will be making again in the run up to Christmas and will ensure I use you’re recipe for mincemeat.

  17. Beth on November 28, 2021 at 10:18 am

    Hi! I would love to make these but my mum is allergic to egg. Do you have a pastry alternative with no egg? Thank you! X

    • Julie on December 5, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      You can use plain flour and half the fat amount to flour, use butter or trex or a mixture of both.



  18. Amy on November 23, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    Hi! I am making Christmas Hampers this year and want to include these, if I filled and baked these this week, and defrosted them on Christmas eve/the day before giving them as gifts would that work okay? So excited to try this recipe! x

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 23, 2021 at 2:48 pm

      Hiya, yes this would be fine! Hope they all love them! x



    • Amy on November 26, 2021 at 11:59 am

      Thank you! x



    • Cheryl on December 22, 2022 at 11:54 am

      Hi,
      If I don’t want a big alcohol taste could I use half amount of brandy. If so would I need to use something else to make up the liquid quantity or would it be ok with kit 80ml brandy and nothing else. If I need more liquid or flavour what would you recommend for the rest of the liquid amount (another 70ml).
      Thanks



    • Jane's Patisserie on January 3, 2023 at 2:31 pm

      Hiya! Straight swap it with apple juice. Hope this helps! x



  19. Caroline on November 22, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    I have a bag of mixed fruit already soaked in brandy. If I use this do I still follow recipe but just leave the add brandy bit out
    Many thanks for the amazing recipes

  20. Karen Jacobs on November 21, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    Hi lovely lady, I’m hoping to make these soon but I don’t have brandy, could I use spiced rum or even port??

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 21, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      Yes of course!! Use what alcohol you fancy x



  21. Vicky Moore on November 21, 2021 at 11:39 am

    Hey could you use a bag of mixed dried fruit?? Thank you

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 21, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      For sure! Just make sure the weights are the same in total! x



  22. Jo on November 21, 2021 at 8:44 am

    Hi do you need to chill the pastry first x

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 30, 2021 at 10:40 am

      Hiya! I would only chill the pastry is the dough has warmed up in the process, but if it’s stayed cold then you will be fine! Hope this helps! x



  23. Ayshea on November 20, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    Hi can these be frozen once filled & baked I love mince pies but its a lot for 1 person

  24. Iqra on November 20, 2021 at 11:50 am

    Hi Jane, I absolutely love your recipes. What’s the best alternative to use instead of the alcohol? As I don’t drink it due to religious reasons. Thank you

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 30, 2021 at 10:27 am

      Hiya! Yes – as per the notes you can use something such as apple juice! Hope this helps! x



  25. Emma on November 20, 2021 at 11:00 am

    I’d love to give these a go! Is there anything non-alcoholic I could substitute instead of the brandy?

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 30, 2021 at 10:26 am

      HIya! Yes – as per the notes you can use something such as apple juice! Hope this helps! x



  26. Annett on November 20, 2021 at 10:33 am

    Hi Jane, Absolutely love your Recipes
    Want to build a Gingerbread house..have you got any good Recipe for Gingerbread?

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 30, 2021 at 10:25 am

      Hiya! Thank you so much! This sound so fun – follow my recipe for Gingerbread Men! Hope this helps! x



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