Mincepies Recipe

Origin: Britain      Period: Traditional

The mincepie is a classic British Christmas treat. The following recipe gives you everything you need to make mincepies from scratch. The pastry here is very 'short' and crumbly (and extremely indulgent). If you wish you can make the pastry and brandy butter but use commercial mincemeat preparations.

Ingredients:

For the Mincemeat

4 eggs
235g currants
235g sultanas
235g raisins
120g dark soft brown sugar
175g cooking apples — peeled and finely chopped
120g mixed candied peel
120g grated suet
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
50g pecan nuts, finely chopped
115ml dark rum (or brandy or whisky)
finely-grated rind of one orange
finely-grated rind of one lemon
juice of one lemon
1–2 tsp mixed spice
pinch of freshly-ground nutmeg
50ml good port.

For the Pastry

235g plain flour
30g caster sugar
½ tsp salt
145g butter
½ tsp white wine vinegar
2–3 tsp water

For the Brandy Butter

120g unsalted butter
120g caster sugar
grated rind of one lemon
4 tbsp brandy

Mincepies Preparation:

Method:

For the mincemeat, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Store in airtight containers for at least 2 weeks before use. Mincemeat keeps a long time .. after all it is virtually pickled in all that alcohol (this should be sufficient for about 72 pies).

To make the pastry, sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and cut into the flour with a knife then rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs in consistency. Add the water a little at a time and mix in until the dough comes together as a stiff, crumbly, paste. Turn this out onto a lightly-floured board and knead quickly until smooth and crack-free. You can either use immediately or store refrigerated in a polythene bag (indeed, the pastry is easier to roll out if refrigerated for 30 minutes).

Roll the pastry on a lightly-floured board then cut out the bases of the pies with an 8cm cutter and the lids with a 6cm cutter. There should be sufficient pastry to make approximately 24 pies. Fill pies two-thirds full with mincemeat and use a little milk to seal the lids onto the bases. Brush surface of each pie with milk and pierce the lids with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for about 20 minutes or until the pastry has turned a golden brown in colour. Remove the pie from the tin whilst still hot and cool on a wire rack.

One traditional way to serve mincepies is with a dollop of brandy butter which is made by creaming the butter until soft, adding the sugar and lemon rind (beating this in again) before gradually adding the brandy. Be careful here to beat constantly whilst adding the brandy otherwise the butter can curdle. Refrigerate for at least ten minutes before serving.

Find more Christmas Recipes Here

Read: Recipe Articles and Reviews

More British recipes...

More European recipes...

More recipes for breads, cakes and pastries...

More Traditional recipes...

More recipes for Cakes...

More recipes for Pies and Tarts...

More Baking recipes...

Are any of the terms used here unfamiliar, do you want to translate from British to American cookery terms? If so then this Glossary of US and UK Cookery Terms will help you.

Need to convert any units on this site?

As a guide 1 US cup of flour = 4 1/2 oz = 140g (this applies to breadcrumbs, ground almonds etc
1 US cup of butter/margarine or sugar = 7 oz = 200g

For temperature conversions (Celsius, gas mark, Farenheit) go to the Temperature conversion page.
For mass conversions (grammes, cups, spoons, ounces etc) go to the Mass/Weight conversion page.
For temperature conversions (litres, cups, spoons, fluid ounces etc) go to the Volume conversion page.
You can also see more cookery terms and meanings as well as ingredient descriptions at the Cooks' glossary