Christmas Sweet Mince Pies
Christmas Sweet Mince Pies are a traditional British holiday dessert. Dried fruit, apple, citrus and brown sugar all soaked in brandy make up the filling inside homemade pie crusts. Individually made so everyone gets their own.
Growing up in England, it never really felt like the Christmas season until the sweet mince pies made an appearance. They truly are the best part of a traditional British Christmas. But they don’t just have to be saved for Christmas day. I make the a few days before because I love them so much and can’t be confined to enjoying just one day.
For this mince pie recipe,I make my own mincemeat recipe. It is a tasty combination of currants, raisins, brandy, apples, candied orange peel, orange and lemon zest, spices and brown sugar.
Making Mincemeat filling ahead of time
Traditional mince pies taste best if the sweet mincemeat is made ahead of time and has time to sit and let the flavors of the orange zest, lemon zest, fruits, brandy and spices combine. Overnight is fine, but up to a week is better. If you don’t have time for this, no problem they are still really good.
Traditional Christmas mince pies have beef suet in the filling. Suet is brand of beef fat in the U.K. Since I am an expat living in the U.S., it’s not easy for me to buy so I have constructed this recipe without it.
Best pastry for homemade mince pies
My homemade shortcrust pastry that is made very easily in the food processor by blending the flour with cold butter for the flaky, buttery pastry. This is my go-to pastry for my sweet and savory pies.
Speaking of pies (and not to be confused with mince pie filling) In England we also have a savory mince pie which is made with ground beef.
Before I started writing my own recipes, I used to make recipes from the British chefs Delia Smith or Jamie Oliver. I am so glad I now have my own recipe that I am so happy with and all the readers who have made them are too.
Would you believe that these pies used to actually be made with meat? I think we can all think the evolution of the recipe to make them now fruit mince pies and happy to never try the meat version.
Best baking pan for fruit mincemeat pies
I use a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
Christmas themed
Since these pies are traditional served at Christmas time, I used my favorite pastry cutters to cut out snowflake shapes for the top to make them more festive.
Storing Mince Pies
Store cooled mince pies in an airtight container to prevent them absorbing any surrounding flavors or odors. Store in a cool, dry place like a cabinet. Avoid the fridge as this can affect the texture. Room temperature is best and consume within 1 week.
Freezing mince pies
Already baked and cooled, they do well when individually wrapped in plastic wrap then in an airtight container. Make sure to date them and they will last for 2-3 months.
Kid friendly Mince Pies
They are for the whole family, but if you choose not to serve brandy to children, you can substitute the brandy with apple cider/juice or orange juice.
If you’ve tried these Christmas Sweet Mince Pies please leave a star rating in the recipe card. You can also ask a question or leave a comment at the end of the page.
Christmas Sweet Mince Pies
Dried fruit, apple, citrus and brown sugar all soaked in brandy make up the filling inside homemade pie crusts.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 1 cup/5 ounces (142 grams) currants
- 1 cup/5 ounces (142 grams) raisins
- ¼ cup (59 ml) brandy
- ½ cup (70 grams) green apple, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 ounces (56 grams) candied peel of your choice
- Juice of 1 orange
- Zest of ½ an orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter, cold
- For the dough:
- 1 ½ cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
- ½ cup cold water
- For the topping:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon powdered/confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Add the currants, raisins and brandy to a large bowl. Allow to soak for 1-2 hours up to overnight.
- While they soak, make the dough.
- To make the pastry in a food processor: Add the flour, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse until you get the texture of fine breadcrumbs. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in just enough cold water until it forms a ball, you may not use it all.
- To make the pastry by hand: Add the flour, sugar, salt and butter to a large bowl. Using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter) rub the butter and flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Drizzle in the water and mix using a fork until the it starts to come together and holds together when pressed in your hand. You may not need all of the water.
- Remove the dough, form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes.
- While the dough chills, make the rest of the filling. To the brandy soaked currants and raisins, add the apples, candied peel, orange juice and zest & lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Use a box grater to grate in the cold butter, mix well.
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Butter a 12-count muffin pan.
- On a floured surface roll out the pastry to about 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick and use a 4-inch (10 cm) round cutter to cut rounds and place each into the cups of the muffin pan so the edges meet the edges of the cups of the pan. Scoop 5 tablespoons of the filling into each of the cups.
- Re-roll out the remaining pastry and cut out holiday shapes of your choice. Place them on top of the filling and brush the shapes with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with the confectioners sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven) until the pastry is golden brown.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 171Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 31mgSodium 111mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 2g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
20 Comments on “Christmas Sweet Mince Pies”
Delicious! I made a double batch and they were a hit for Christmas Day.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed them.
I don’t have brandy. I put real grape home made wine instead. Is whisky OK? Thank you.
Whiskey is a better substitute
I canβt find curants, what could be a good substitute? Would like to try and make mincemeat for the first time
Raisins are a great substitute, they’re just a little larger. Enjoy.
Made an tested.. amazing.
I had a but to much liquid.. I guess it depends on the size of the orange.. but amazing taste.
Thanks for sharing
I’m glad you enjoyed the pies, thank you for the feedback. Merry Christmas
Can you just put the filling in a 9 inch pie crust instead of making individual ones? If yes, how long should I bake it?
I’ve never made a large version so I can’t tell you exactly if it will work, but I don’t see why not. My guess to baking time would be just a little long at around 35 minutes or so. I hope this helps and enjoy.Β
I will try it and let you know!
Ok, enjoy.
Really pleased with the outcome- so are all our neighbours π
Sharing is caring π Thank you
how much salt ? your recipe says 1 teaspoon sugar 2 times was this a miss print & 1 should say salt
I’m glad you brought this to my attention. The ingredients seemed to have gotten jumbled and is now corrected. Sorry about the confusion.
I added some sad peaches that were laying around to the recipe, pie was the talk of the evening. Thank you
Peaches are a delicious addition, great idea.
Very good pastry and there is just enough brandy flavor coming through to not overpower. Will make again
Thank you so much. I just made a batch yesterday and I love them too π