Mince Pies (With Shortcrust Pastry)

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Classic Mince Pies

Melt in the mouth, all buttery mince pies made with sweet shortcrust pastry – hello Christmas! This is my go-to recipe that I make all the time. Let’s get baking…

Christmas without mince pies is unimaginable, but making your own from scratch doesn’t have to be! I use my food processor or make the pastry by hand, and trust me, either way it’s really simple.

The texture of the sweet shortcrust pastry is light and buttery, and as for the filling… here comes my confession: I use shop-bought mincemeat! But you can definitely make it yourself if you want too.

All together, these mince pies look and taste amazing! Plus, you can reuse the pastry to make other delicious bakes, umm, maybe like these brownie mince pies!!

Equipment Needed

I used a 7.4cm or 7.5cm fluted cookie cutter to make the bases, and a 6.5cm to 6.8cm fluted cookie cutter for the lids. Don’t forget your mince pies tin, the one I use has small holes at the bottom to prevent the pastry from having soggy bottoms.

To make the cutest mince pies ever, I use a star-shaped cookie cutter to decorate them (like in my pictures). You can also use a snowflake cookie cutter to create a snowflake shape.

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the ingredients I used:

• Plain Flour: Use plain flour and not self-raising flour.
• Butter Or Margarine: You’ll want to use block butter as opposed to smooth spreadable butter. You can choose between salted or unsalted butter (this is up to personal preference).
• Caster Sugar: I used caster sugar; you can also use icing sugar.
• Water: A few tablespoons of water is used to help bind the pastry together. You can also use milk instead of water.
• Mincemeat: I used shop-bought mincemeat. If you want, you can add additional flavours to it like orange zest or chocolate. Alternatively, you can make your own homemade mincemeat.

How To Make Sweet Shortcrust Pastry For Mince Pies

Here’s a summary of how I make homemade mince pies. You can get the full recipe instructions on the recipe card below:

Step One:

I start by adding flour and sugar to a food processor and process it until it’s evenly distributed. Then I add chunks of butter to the food processor and process it until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Step Two:

I add a few tablespoons of water (or milk) and mix again until the pastry dough has formed. Then I use my hands to bind the dough together.

The sweet shortcrust pastry is wrapped in cling film, and I leave it to chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will make rolling the dough so much easier as it will be less sticky.

Step Three:

Using a rolling pin, I roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. The pastry should be around 5mm (0.5cm) thick (they puff out in the oven).

I get a round fluted cookie cutter and cut out bases from the pastry. Then I place the bases into my holed mince pie tin and gently press them down. I add a tablespoon of mincemeat to the centre of each base.

Step Four:

A little bit of egg is brushed around the edges of the pastry and then I top them with lids. For circle lids, I used a smaller 6cm to 6.8cm fluted cookie cutter. I press down gently to seal the lids to the bottom of the pastry.

Next, I lightly brush the pastry with egg or milk for a golden colour, then sprinkle demerara sugar on top. The mince pies are baked in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden.

My Top Tips

Keep any dough you’re not using in the fridge! After manipulating the dough, the warmth of your hands softens and slightly melts the butter. You want the butter to be as cold as possible for a delicious crumbly texture.

Sometimes I like to add extra flavour to the shortcrust pastry by adding orange zest, the mince pies will taste amazing! You could also add vanilla, caramel or almond extract to give the mince pies a unique taste.

I always lightly grease my non-stick tin with butter or oil, but to be on the safe side, you could line the bottom of the cupcake tin with parchment paper.

How To Serve Mince Pies

Most of the time I like to eat them on their own or with a hot drink. But if I’m feeling fancy, a side of brandy butter, homemade honeycomb ice cream or this luxurious Biscoff ice cream will work a treat.

For hot drinks, my go-to choices are mulled wine, an orange Hot chocolate or a Biscoff Hot chocolate. You can of course just skip the drinks and serve these mince pies with a side of custard.

How To Store And Freeze

I like to store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 5 days. If I want to freeze the shortcrust pastry, I wrap it in cling film and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If I want to freeze the cooked mince pies, I wait for them to cool down, then I place them into a freezer-safe container. It’s kept in the freezer for up to 3 months and when I’m ready to eat them, I simply defrost then reheat in the oven.

More Christmas Dessert Recipes

• Puff Pastry Mince pies
• Chocolate Orange Cookies
• Puff Pastry Gingerbread Men
• Chocolate Orange Mousse
• Terry’s Chocolate Orange Fudge
• Terrys Chocolate Orange Cake
• Mary Berry Pavlova Wreath

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Mince Pies

Michelle

Here's how to make the best sweet shortcrust pastry perfect for mince pies. This recipe is quick, easy and so tasty.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chill Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 24 Mince Pies

Calories 188 kcal

Equipment

• Cookie Cutter
• Mince Pies Tin

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

• 350 g Plain Flour
• 230 g Butter
• 100 g Sugar Or Icing Sugar
• 2 tbsp Water Or Milk

Mince Pies

• 400 g Mincemeat
• 1 Egg Or Milk (To Wash Pastry)
• 3 tsp Demerara Sugar (Optional)

Instructions

 

To Make Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

• Add flour and sugar to a food processor and process until it's evenly distributed.

  By Hand: Pour flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl and mix until it's evenly distributed.
  350 g Plain Flour, 100 g Sugar
• Add butter to the food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

  By Hand: Slice butter into small cubes, rub it into the flour and sugar mixture using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  230 g Butter
• Add a few tablespoons of water (or milk) and mix together until the pastry dough has formed. Use your hands to bind the dough together.
  2 tbsp Water Or Milk
• Wrap the sweet shortcrust pastry in cling film and leave it to chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will make rolling the dough so much easier as it will be less sticky.
• At this time, preheat your oven to 180°C (gas mark 4, 160°Fan) and grease a holed mince pie tin with oil or butter.

To Make Mince Pies

• Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. The pastry should be around 5mm (0.5cm) thick (they puff out in the oven).
• Get a round fluted cookie cutter preferably 7.4cm or 7.5cm and cut out bases from the pastry. Place the bases into your holed mince pie tin and gently press them down.
• Add a tablespoon of mincemeat to the centre of each base.
  400 g Mincemeat
• Add a little bit of egg or milk around the edges of the pastry and top with lids. For circle lids, I used a smaller 6cm to 6.8cm fluted cookie cutter. Press down gently to seal the lids to the bottom of the pastry.
  1 Egg
• Lightly brush the pastry with egg or milk for a golden colour, then sprinkle with demerara sugar (this is optional). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden.
  3 tsp Demerara Sugar
• Leave the mince pies to cool down for at least 5 minutes, then dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Video

Notes

If the pastry gets soft, place it back into the fridge for a few minutes to harden. I like to split the dough into two and keep half the dough in the fridge whilst I make the bases, then use the remaining dough to make lids.

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 239IUCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg

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