These puff pastry mince pies may be made with prepared ingredients, but they are truly simple to make, especially when you have your hands full at Christmas!
Even though I am cutting corners, I have given shop bought mincemeat a luxury touch, with brandy, walnuts, dried cranberries and orange zest.
It makes a huge difference to have that extra crunch and tang and makes it feel homemade too.
And the best thing about these? They are perfectly bite sized to pop in the mouth. That means no mess when you sneak another out of the tin!
Enjoy.
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Time is always difficult to find in the festive season, but I do like to make my own mince pies.
But, with so much else to prepare I don't always want to make everything from scratch, so that's where these puff pastry mince pies save me so much time.
Now, I know that I can make puff pastry, but most chefs use ready made puff pastry as a short cut. Just make sure that it is the all butter type for the best taste.
Of course, to save even more time, just use a good quality mincemeat straight from the jar. However, I find that they rarely have nuts in, so this recipe adds some extra crunch, along with tangy orange zest, dried cranberries and a splash of brandy.
They are ready from start to finish in just 25 minutes, but don't be tempted to devour them straight away. The filling will be piping hot!
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Store cupboard ingredients.
- Ready in 25 minutes.
- Easy to customise.
- Make in advance.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Pastry - all butter puff pastry, defrosted overnight in the fridge if frozen and left at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
- Mincemeat - ready made from a jar or make your own vegan mincemeat.
- Cranberries - dried cranberries as fresh ones would contain too much liquid.
- Walnuts - walnut pieces or halves, to be chopped.
- Brandy - completely optional or use some orange juice.
- Orange - grated zest of an orange, avoiding any white pith.
- Egg - a little beaten egg with water to seal the edges and glaze the pies.
- Sugar - light soft brown sugar to decorate before baking and icing sugar for decoration before serving.
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.
🍽 Equipment
- Round cutters - 4.8, 5.8 or 6.8 (1.9, 2.3 or 2.7 inches)
- Grater/zester
- 2 baking trays
- Pastry brush
- Tea strainer or small sieve - for the icing sugar decoration
🔪 Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / 180 FAN / Gas 6.
Start be preparing the mincemeat.
Zest the the orange, chop the walnuts into small pieces and chop the cranberries in half.
Mix the ingredients in a bowl with the mincemeat and brandy, if using.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or baking silicon.
Use the 4.8 cm cutter to cut out 10 pieces for the pie bases and the 5.8 cm cutter to cut out 10 pieces for the top.
These sizes will make 20 bite sized pies.
💭 Top Tip
- To make a more standard sized pie use the 5.8 cm for the base and 6.38 cm for the top.
Transfer the smaller pieces to a baking tray, slightly apart.
Put a spoonful of the mincemeat mix on each piece but leave a gap all of the way around for sealing.
Mix the egg with water and use a pastry brush to moisten the edges around the filling.
Place the larger pieces on top and press the edges down.
It helps to gently press down with the smaller cutter for this as it can be fiddly.
Glaze the top of the pies with egg wash and sprinkle with the light brown sugar.
⏲️ Baking Time
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen and golden.
Leave to cool for a few minutes on the tins then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Just before serving dust the tops with icing sugar.
💭 Top Tip
- If you make the bite sized pies you may find that they do open up when cooking, compared to the normal sized ones. I think they look rather cute this way, as you can see what's inside!
🥗 Serve with
I always serve my puff pastry mince pies alongside the Christmas pudding or at tea time, but they also go well with these desserts.
- Baileys Sabayon
- Lemon Tart
- Eve's Pudding
- Butterscotch Tart
- Syrup Sponge Pudding
- Lemon Syllabub
- Raspberry Cranachan
- Chocolate Tiffin
- Flummery
- Chocolate Mousse
- Chocolate Marquise
🥙 Substitutions
- Mincemeat - leave the ready made mincemeat exactly as it is to save time.
- Egg - a little milk can take the place of the egg wash for sealing and glazing if your prefer.
- Sugar - use white granulated sugar instead of light brown sugar.
📖 Variations
- Vegan - make this vegan by using pastry made with vegetable oil and mincemeat that does not contain suet.
- Pastry - use shortcrust pastry instead but you will need to use patty pans.
- Mincemeat - add other ingredients to the mincemeat such as chopped pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, rum, sherry or chopped candied cherries.
🍣 Storage
- Airtight container - keep for up to 10 days.
- Freezer - freeze them cooked, in containers or wrap the baking tray in cling film for uncooked for up to 3 months
- To reheat - cook in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes to crisp up the pastry.
🍱 Prepare in advance
- Make ahead and store in a tin or open freeze ready to bake then transfer to a bag in the freezer.
🤔FAQs
Traditionally mincemeat was a way of preserving meat using sugar and alcohol. The meat was chopped finely or minced and mixed with wine or vinegar.
Suet, was also added. It is a hard animal fat, typically from around the kidneys. This was shredded and added to the mix. This gives a richer taste to the filling.
In the 11th century, spices became available and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg were added, to represent the gifts to Jesus from the three kings.
In later years dried fruits were added to the mix but by the 18th century the meat itself had all but disappeared.
Modern vegan mincemeat typically contains sugar, chopped apple, sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed candied peel, vegetable suet, treacle and spices.
More Christmas recipes
- Linzer cookies
- Slow Cooker Turkey Crown
- Vegan Mincemeat
- Viennese Fingers
- Slow Cooker Christmas Pudding
- Nutella Macarons
- Rudolph Crispy Rice Pops
- Pork Stuffing
- Cheese and Bacon Scones
📋 RECIPE
📋 Recipe
Puff Pastry Mince Pies
Equipment
- Round cutters - 4.8, 5.8 or 6.8 (1.9, 2.3 or 2.7inches)
- Grater/zester
- 2 baking trays
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 320 g puff pastry 1 rolled sheet
- 170 g mincemeat
- 25 g dried cranberries
- 20 g walnuts
- zest of an orange
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1 tablespoon light soft brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / 180 FAN / Gas 6.
- Zest the orange, chop the walnuts into small pieces and chop the cranberries in half.
- Mix the ingredients in a bowl with the mincemeat and brandy, if using.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or baking silicon.
- Use the 4.8 cm cutter to cut out 10 pieces for the pie bases and the 5.8 cm cutter to cut out 10 pieces for the top.
- Transfer the smaller pieces to a baking tray, slightly apart.
- Put a spoonful of the mincemeat mix on each piece but leave a gap all of the way around for sealing.
- Mix the egg with water and use a pastry brush to moisten the edges around the filling.
- Place the larger pieces on top and press the edges down.
- Glaze the top of the pies with egg wash and sprinkle with the light brown sugar.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen and golden.
- Leave to cool for a few minutes on the tins then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
- Just before serving dust the tops with icing sugar.
Notes
- To make a more standard sized pie use the 5.8 cm for the base and 6.38 cm for the top.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
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🌡️Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?
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Dannii
This is the only way we make mince pies. So much better with puff pastry.
Shadi Hasanzade
The combination of cranberries and walnuts is so delicious and festive! My family is going to love this recipe!
Danielle Wolter
Loving the fall flavors of this! brandy and orange go so well together. Great recipe!
Valerie
Bitesize treats are great, especially for the holiday season. These sound like a must try, I have almost all of the ingredients on hand now.
Tavo
I love these pies! They are good as appetizers, snacks, and party food.