Description

These little British tartlets are everything I love about the holidays: crisp, buttery pastry; a fruit-forward, warmly spiced mincemeat (no meat, no suet); and just enough sweetness to keep you reaching for “one more”.

Ingredients

Scale

Ingredients for the Mincemeat Filling (No Alcohol)

4 tbsp (about 55 g) Frozen grated butter
240 ml (1 cup) Fresh lemon juice
2 large Apples : peeled, cored, diced 5-7 mm.
250 g (about 1½-1¾ cups) Mixed dried fruit
120 g Candied citrus peel
80 g (about ⅓ cup, packed) Brown sugar
2 tbsp Honey
Ground spices: ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp cloves. Or use allspice in place of cloves.

Ingredients : Buttery Shortcrust Pastry

240 g (2 cups) All-purpose flour
150 g (about ⅔ cup) Cold unsalted butter diced
90 g (just under ½ cup) Sugar
30 g (about ⅓ cup) Almond meal
1 sachet Vanilla sugar (or 2 tsp vanilla sugar / 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 Egg yolk
Pinch of fine salt
1-2 tsp Ice-cold water only if needed to bring the dough together

Cook Mode Empêchez votre écran de devenir noir

Instructions

How to make the mince pies (step-by-step)

Prepare the filling (make at least 3 days ahead)

Freeze the butter until very firm, then grate it (for even distribution without melting).
Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl, mix well, then transfer to clean jars; macerate 3 days in the fridge, stirring once daily.

Make the shortcrust & assemble

In a food processor or stand mixer (paddle/K), add flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt.
Add the cold butter in cubes; mix until the texture is like fine sand.
Add the egg yolk and almond meal; pulse just until the dough comes together (add 1-2 tsp ice water only if needed).
Gather the dough into a ball, divide in two, wrap, and chill 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (170°C fan). Lightly butter a muffin/cupcake tin.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 2-3 mm thick. Cut ~9 cm (3½-in) rounds to fit your tin and line the cavities.
Fill each shell to ¾ full with the mincemeat.
Cut star/heart/tree tops (~5 cm / 2 in) and place over the filling.
Brush with egg yolk + a splash of milk for a glossy finish.
Bake 12-15 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes (the syrup is very hot), then unmould to a rack and cool completely.

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Category: pies, dessert
Cuisine: british cuisine

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 pie
Calories: 380 kcal