When following this mince pie recipe, don’t overfill the pastry cases. You only need around 1 teaspoon per pie case, which will prevent the filling from boiling over and spilling out of the pastry.
Prior to placing the pastry into the tin, you can also lightly grease the holes to stop the pies from sticking to the pan after cooking. The egg wash is a vital step to ensure your mince pie tops turn beautifully golden in the oven.
Working with pastry for mince pies
If you’re new to working with pastry, you can purchase ready-made options easily enough at your local supermarket. Look for shortcrust pastry that can be rolled out and formed into the small balls you need for the recipe above.
However, if you have the time to make the pastry at home, you’ll notice the difference in taste in your mince pies, with a fully homemade flavour. When making the pastry, always use chilled butter. During cooking, the butter will melt and release steam, creating the desirable flaky texture needed for traditional mince pies. If the butter is too warm, it’ll create a dense and crumbly pastry instead. Some bakers will also chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge, wrapped in cling film, before rolling it out to assist this process.
Mincemeat filling and spice balance
For the tastiest mince pie filling, make the mincemeat ahead of time. The flavours will taste even better after a couple of days to meld and combine. If you’re purchasing the filling from your local supermarket, you may find it’s a little too sweet. Add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to balance the sweetness. You can also enhance the filling flavour with a fresh grating of nutmeg or a dash of brandy for added richness.
Mincemeat filling is actually only a mix of fruits, spices and often a little alcohol. Despite the name, modern variations are usually meat-free. However, once you’ve mastered making your mince pies, you could try baking a mince and onion pie or explore making a variety of top chefs’ best sweet and savoury pie recipes for more comfort food inspiration during the colder months. And if you’re making hearty broths during the winter and have any leftover broth meat, this can be handily used for pie mincemeat fillings.
Baking, finishing and serving
Mince pies don’t need long in the oven once assembled. 20 minutes is enough to warm the filling through and turn the pastry golden brown and flaky. To finish, a dusting of icing sugar is the classic option for a little sweetness to balance the spiciness of the mincemeat mixture.
For added richness, serve with brandy butter or vanilla custard to bring a welcome creaminess to the mince pies. This method of serving is ideal for Christmas Day when you want to enjoy your mince pies indulgently.
