Christmas mince pies on a kitchen counter with a Christmas tree in the background.

Mince Pie Recipe- You Need to Try This Delightful Pie!

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Have you ever tried a mince pie? If you are English, then you know this traditional Christmas recipe very well. Mince pies (or mincemeat pies) are a lovely, warm, delightful dessert. I know, I know… their name sounds a little suspect- but hear me out- these little pies really are a delight. 

My first recollection of eating a mince pie dates back some ten years ago- when I was living in England with my husband. My husband, Craig, is a big fan of mince pies. In fact, in England when the mince pies hit the supermarket shelves, Craig would eat them every week. I must admit, England makes some very good store-bought desserts. Naturally, mince pies are included in that category. However, being one who prefers homemade baking to storebought, I decided I would learn to make my own mince pie recipe.

And it is a good thing I like to bake, because when we came back to America to live, making homemade mince pies became almost a necessity. For, in the southern states these little beauties can be a bit hard to come by. 

Lucky for you, I am inviting you into my kitchen- to make English mince pies with me. Get ready for the nostalgia as we crack out the cinnamon, sugar, butter, and spices. Creating this recipe is like stepping back into time…

~English Christmas Desserts~

In my experience, I have found many English Christmas recipes feature warm spices, fruit, and maybe even a splash of brandy or rum… for good measure of course. As a child, I generally think back to winter recipes, like fruit cake, as more of a cake my grandmother might eat. Something about the warm fruit and walnuts just doesn’t scream “eat me” to a child.

However, children grow up- and with that growth, comes an openness to try new foods. The reality is, warm fruit, brown sugar, and cinnamon are a delicious combination. So, I am here to try and convince you “fruitcake haters” – and children in the group- to give mince pies a try.

Seeing as my children are part English, they are accustomed to this seasonal treat being on our kitchen countertop. Two (of the four children) enjoy mince pies. One child dissects parts of it… to eat only the bits he likes. And one child will only eat the homemade custard we serve the mince pie with. Hey ho, you can’t win them all, but I am fairly certain, that with time- all four of my little helpers with grow to enjoy mince pies.

A beautiful flat cake cloche is filled with Christmas mince pies. The cloche is decorating a kitchen counter and is in front of a Christmas tree.

~What is an English Mince Pie? ~

Mince pies have been around for a long time. Naturally over the years some of the ingredients and methods of preparation have changed- but many of the components remain the same.

Now, if you are like me, the word mincemeat is not the most delightful of terms. Especially when paired with a dessert! But hear me out- my recipe does not contain any meat. You read that right, no meat! I do realize that traditional English bakers may be shaking their heads right about now. However, for my recipe, I did choose to omit that ingredient in my pies.

Traditionally, meat (often lamb) was included in mince pies. With time, the pies took on a sweeter flavor profile. However, many recipes still include suet.

What is suet you may ask? Suet is an animal fat that surrounds the kidneys of an animal. It is often included in many desserts. Suet helps to provide moisture and a subtle richness. However, vegetarian options are available to use or, in the case of my recipe, we use butter. Butter is a different ingredient all together, and therefore, it does impart a slightly different flavor profile. When used in place of suet, butter creates a warm, rich, flavorful dessert. 

Have you ever used suet in your baking? Let me know in the comments if you enjoy using this ancient ingredient.

~"Suet" Do You Say...Let's Get into the Kitchen~

The ingredients for short crust pastry are on a kitchen countertop. A Christmas tree is in the background.
Elizabeth

Sweet, Short Crust Pastry for Mince Pie

Short crust pastry is a buttery pastry with a slight crispiness and a subtle sweetness. This pastry forms the base layer and the top layer of the mince pie.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 12 mini- mince pies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: English
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups All- Purpose Flour Spooned and Smoothed
  • 12 Tbsp Salted Butter Frozen and Grated
  • 12 Tbsp Cold Water Add a tablespoon of water at a time. Add just enough water to allow the pastry to just come together.
  • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar Sprinkle on the tops of the mince pies before placing in the oven.

Method
 

  1. Freeze butter. Grate frozen butter into a medium sized bowl.
  2. Add flour, powdered sugar, and cinnamon to the bowl and use fingertips to combine the dry ingredients with the grated butter.
  3. Slowly add cold water (1-2 Tablespoons at a time) until the mixture becomes a crumbly dough that "just" holds together. Try not to over mix, or overhandle, the pastry.
  4. Lightly flatten the pastry onto clear plastic wrap. Seal and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill (overnight it better).
  5. Once the pastry has been chilled, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 4–5-inch circular rounds. (You will need two rounds per mince pie.)
  6. Butter a muffin pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  7. Add one circle to the bottom of a muffin pan. Mold the pastry to fit the sides of the muffin pan. Add the mince pie filling and top with another pastry round. Gently press the pastry pieces together to form a seal,
  8. Make small slots for the steam to release- as the mince pies bake. Brush the mince pie tops with an egg yolk wash. Sprinkle one tablespoon of turbinado sugar on the tops of the mince pies.
  9. Bake for ten minutes at 400 degrees F. Then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes- or until the pastry is flaky and golden brown- and the mince pie filling is bubbling.
  10. Allow the pies to completely cool before removing from the muffin pan. (Using a sharp knife to free any stuck sides of the pastry). Sprinkle the tops of the mince pies with powdered sugar. And serve with custard.

Notes

This pastry recipe can be used for other desserts or even savory foods (by simply removing the powdered sugar and the cinnamon).

 

~How to Make a Sweet Pastry~

To set the Christmas mood, I first instruct our oldest daughter to turn on the Pandora Christmas tunes.  The song “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,” is ringing in the background. This is our cue to get baking. 

Therefore, I immediately set about lighting a homemade candle and preparing a space in which to work. First order of business, the sweet short crust pastry.

Generally, I like to make my pastry the day before making my mince pies. This allows me to space out my, already saturated, to-do list. While also allowing the pastry plenty of time to chill. 

Unsurprisingly, the short crust pastry is the part the kids like to help me with the most. This is especially true the second day- when we roll the pastry out to cut into rounds.

Ah, the joys of Christmas baking. And speaking of “joys”… what a jubilation it is to see the soft twinkle of a Christmas light.

The ingredients for short crust pastry are on a kitchen countertop. A Christmas tree is in the background.
Cold water is being poured into the flour mixture to make short crust pastry.
*I bought this tiny pitcher at a thrift store. In my experience, I have found that a petite pitcher is the perfect tool for slowly adding a liquid to a pastry (without too much saturation).
Short crust pastry dough in a ball and ready to be wrapped in plastic wrap.
*Some of the butter can still be seen- laced throughout the pastry.
Premade short crust pastry is ready to go into the refrigerator before being used to make the base of mince pies.
*Separating the pastry into two sections can make the pastry dough more manageable.

~Rolling Out the Chilled Short Crust Pastry~

Homemade shortcuts pastry is being rolled out and cut into rounds.
A little girl is helping to cut out the tops and bottoms of the mince pies.
*My oldest helper involved in the process. It is my hope that having the children participate in these traditional recipes will keep the recipes alive in their memories.

~Step by Step Instructions: How to Make Mince Pie Filling~

The mince pie filling can be made ahead of time (as the marination of the fruit- in the juices- only makes the pies more flavorful). Being able to make something in advance is helpful during the Christmas season- as it frees up valuable time to do other tasks. For this reason, I like recipes that split chores up into days.

The interior of a homemade mince pie.
Elizabeth

Mince Pie Filling

Mince pies are a traditional English Christmas treat. They are akin to a mini pie, made of sweet short crust pastry- and filled with raisins, fruit, brown sugar, and mixed spices. Mince pies pair nicely with homemade custard or brandy butter.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 12 mini-pies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: English
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup Raisins
  • 1/2 cup Golden Raisins
  • 1 Orange Zest
  • 1 Juice of the Zested Orange
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 Granny Smith Apple Grated
  • 1/3 cup Citrus Candied Peel (Can be store bought or see my homemade candied peel recipe)
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar Packed
  • 1 Tbsp Golden Syrup Store-bought or see my homemade golden syrup recipe in post
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp All-Spice
  • 4 Tbsp Salted Butter Grated

Method
 

  1. Prep: Thoroughly wash the orange and the apple. Peel the apple. Use a cheese grater to grate the apple. Finely chop the citrus candied peel.
  2. To a medium mixing bowl- add raisins, golden raisins, the zest of one orange, the juice of one orange, vanilla, grated granny smith apple, citrus candied peel (chopped), brown sugar, golden syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, and the grated butter. Combine all ingredients and let soak for five minutes before adding to the prepared sweet short crust pastry. If the mixture is too juicy, use a slotted spoon to remove some of the moisture so your pastry is not too wet. (Note: this mixture does thicken as it cooks).

Notes

If possible, use an organic orange as you will be using the zest of the peel. Wash the fruit thoroughly. 
More spices may be added to suit individual preference. Some English recipes include brandy or rum in the mince mixture to add a depth of flavor.

 

~The Spices of Christmas~

This is where the warm fragrant scents of Christmas begin wafting through the air. If you close your eyes, you can almost smell the faint scent of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Traditionally, many mince pie recipes call for the addition of brandy. Because the children eat these pies, I omit this ingredient. However, a splash of brandy can add a depth of flavor.

Firstly, I like to add my vanilla and freshly squeezed orange juice (lemon juice is commonly used as well), to the raisins. This creates a sweet marinade for the raisins to soften in. From there, I like to add my grated apple, brown sugar, and sweet spices.

Some mince pie recipes also contain nuts. However, in this family, we do not add nuts to our recipe.

Like many Christmas bakes, you can adapt this recipe to suit your individual preferences by adjusting the spice level or experimenting with currants or dried cranberries in the mix.

~How to Make the Mince Pie Filling~

AN orange, a bowl of mixed fruits, and a zester are set out for mince pie filling.
A zested orange and raisin mix in a glass mixing bowl.
*Top Tip: remember to zest before you juice.
Orange zest is added to the raisin and orange juice mince pie filling.
*Citrus zest provides a bright component to the filling.
Mince pie filling: raisins, apples, grated butter.
*Grated butter allows the butter to be more easily incorporated... without having to handle the pastry too much.
Brown sugar and golden syrup are added to the mince pie mixture.
*Packed brown sugar and golden syrup...yes, please!
Candied peel is added to the mince pie filling.
*The homemade citrus candied peel-chopped and on top.

Find my golden syrup recipe here. Otherwise, Publix often carries this ingredient in the international section. You can also find my citrus candied peel recipe in this post.

~How to Create a Decorative Moment of Joy in the Home~

A sidenote: a handmade recipe case (see that post here) and a thrifted nativity set are simple Christmas pleasures. Sometimes I like to separate my nativity characters- to create little “Christmas moments”- when I do not have a lot of space. Side note: to see the full thrifted nativity set – check out my last post here. 

A handwritten recipe for homemade English Custard in a handsewn recipe case.

~What is Homemade English Custard? ~

Right, where were we? Ah, yes, yes…the custard! 

Mince pies are traditionally served alongside English custard or brandy butter. Sometimes they are simply dusted with powdered sugar (icing sugar) or served warm beside a big scoop of ice cream. (This is probably a more American way to eat it.)

As I have mentioned in a previous post, you can buy custard in a can (which is better than it sounds), from Publix in the international food section. However, I generally prefer to make my own vanilla custard.

Custard is a rich dessert on its own -but paired with the spicy sweetness of a mince pie- makes it an irresistible combination.

A Handwritten recipe for English vanilla custard.

You can see how this vanilla custard is used in my Eve’s pudding post here.

~How to Make Homemade Custard~

The ingredients for vanilla custard to be served alongside the mince pies.
Egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch are in a mixing bowl- ready to be turned into vanilla custard.
Milk and cream are being added to a saucepan to make homemade custard.

~How to Add the Mincemeat Filling to the Short Crust Pastry~

The marriage of the short crust pastry and the mincemeat pies… is a beautiful union- for they each complement each other.

Mince pies being filled with the mince filling.
Raw short crust pastry is being filled with mince pie filling.
A star (made of short crust pastry) is decorating the top of a mince pie.

~A Mince Pie Recipe, and An English Custard-Dessert is Served~

Let us bring it all together by marrying the two English deserts to make one extraordinary dessert. English mince pies- and English custard- added to one dish, fulfilling many a Christmas wish. 

These dainty pies, look lovely on a Christmas table or under a glass cloche. A welcoming treat and a warming gift. Sweet packages like these make excellent Christmas gifts. The pies can be wrapped and given to neighbors or friends. Sharing with them… the simple joys of an English Christmas bite. 

Mince pies displayed on a glass cake stand with a crimson bow.
Mince pies with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
A close-up photo of mince pies with icing sugar dusted on the top.
*A dusting of powdered sugar is a lovely thing, indeed.
A close-up photo showing the tops of the mince pies that have been dusted with powdered sugar,
Fresh from the oven mince pies and cranberries are decorating a cake stand.
A mince pie with homemade English custard in a Christmas bowl.
The interior of a homemade mince pie.
Christmas mince pies on a kitchen counter with a Christmas tree in the background.

~Let This Be the Year to Begin New Traditions in Your Home~

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to celebrate old traditions- as well as a time to make new traditions with your family. Baking is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I suppose I am partial to traditions because they often mean creating special moments with your children or family.

Looking back to my childhood, my favorite memories of Christmas were often the activities that I did with my family… as opposed to the things I received. A tradition is a gift of time. Time passed down… and time shared.

Creating traditions based on love and time do not need a monetary supply to back them up.

~Until Next Time~

As I conclude another meaningful post, I will sign off and remind myself to savor the little joys of the season. So go ahead- light that cinnamon candle, pour another cup of hot cocoa, turn up the Christmas tunes, and who knows…maybe even take time to have a spontaneous dance party, in the living room (with little ones).

As always, stay tuned to my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576612642003 and my (1) Pinterest page for more ideas (and to see some of my favorite thrifted Christmas items).

Feel free to subscribe, share, and even tell me about some of your favorite Christmas recipe/traditions. I hope to see you all soon for more Christmas fun and inspiration. *If you didn’t get to check out my winter cake recipe you can see that here:

*If you have been playing “Where’s the Deco?” from my Facebook page…here he is …our favorite bubbly Santa. Of course, I put him at the end of the post to encourage you to keep on reading until you found him! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16iGyGdiM7/

~Elizabeth~

A Santa bubble light in the background of a kitchen that is serving mince pies for Christmas.

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