Mini Mince Pies Recipes

MINI MINCE PIES

Steps:

• Peel, core and grate apple. Chop nuts.
• Combine all mince ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside.
• Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
• Cut cold butter into cubes, then rub into flour until small crumbs form.
• Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolks to make a dough.
• Form dough into a ball, press into a disk shape, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
• Roll out dough to 1/8 inch [3mm] thick. Use a cookie or biscuit cutter a little larger than your mini muffin tin to cut rounds out of the dough.
• Press dough into mini muffin tin. Prick the bottom of the dough a couple times with a fork.
• Fill 3/4 full with mince filling (about 3/4 teaspoon).
• Re-roll the dough (thinner than before) and use mini cookie cutters to cut out shapes to place on the tops of your pies. Then, sprinkle vanilla sugar over the top (or use an egg wash).
• Bake at 350F/175C about 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in airtight container.

EASY PEASY MINI MINCE PIES

Steps:

• Grease the holes of 2 cupcake trays (24 holes in total), using a little butter on some baking paper. Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
• Place the flour in the bowl (you can sieve it if you like, but I never bother) and add the cubes of cold butter. Rub the butter and flour between your fingers (as if you are trying to rub the flour into the butter) until it resembles breadcrumbs. (See Note 1.)
• Stir in a tablespoon of cold water and stir into the butter/flour mixture thoroughly. Add another tablespoon of cold water and stir in thoroughly. Repeat this process until the mixture just starts to come together. I usually find this happens after about 6-8 tablespoons but it does vary. Don't add too much water!
• As soon as your pastry starts coming together, stop adding water and use your hands to squish the pastry together into a ball.
• Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour and pop your ball of pastry on top. Roll your pastry out as thin as it will go. (It might be easier, depending on the size if your work surface, to split the pastry into 2 balls and do them 1 at a time.)
• Using a circle shaped cutter, cut out 24 circles and place them into the greased holes of you cupcake trays.
• Put 1 teaspoonful of mincemeat in the centre of each circle.
• Squish together the pastry, roll it into a ball and roll out thinly again. This time cut out 24 stars, using your star shaped cutter, Place each star on top of the mincemeat, roughly in the centre (this is a bit hit and miss with children!) and press down slightly so the star sticks.
• Using a pastry brush, brush over a little milk. (Not strictly necessary, but it makes the mince pies go a more golden colour.)
• Put the mince pies in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the mincemeat is bubbling and the pastry is golden on top.
• Take your mince pies out of the cupcake tin and place them on a wire rack to cool - I find it easiest to lever the mince pies out with a dessert spoon - take care not to burn yourself as they will be super-hot!
• While the mince pies are still warm, put a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar into a sieve and dust the icing sugar over the mince pies. (You can use an icing sugar dredger if you prefer.)
• The mince pies can be eaten warm or cold, on their own or with cream or custard.
• When the mince pies are completely cool they can be stored in a cake tin, or other air tight container... that is if there are any left!

MINI MINCE PIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl mix the flour and salt.
• Cut butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender until the flour has the consistency of sand and the butter is evenly distributed.
• Add 6-7 Tbsp of water slowly and mix with fork until the dough clumps together around the fork. It should clean the edges of the bowl and nearly come together on its own. All it should need is a gentle press together to come into a clean ball.
• Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface to roughly 1/8 inch thick.
• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Cut the rolled crust into small circles that fit nicely into your mini muffin tin. (We used roughly 2 ¼ - 2 ½ inch circles.) Re-roll the crust dough as necessary to fill 24 mini muffin tins.
• Spoon roughly 1 Tbsp of mincemeat into each crust shell.
• Roll out the leftover crust and use a cookie cutter to cut out a star or other shape for the top crust.
• Bake the mini mince pies for 30-35 minutes, until golden.
• Remove the pies from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing them to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Store the mini mince pies in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks on the counter.

MINI ORANGE MINCE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sift together the flour, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, and cinnamon. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to mix in the butter until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the orange zest. Sprinkle with ice water, and gather dough into a ball. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out approximately 18 (3 inch) diameter circles, and 18 (2 inch) circles, rerolling dough as needed.
• Line muffin cups or tart tins using the 3 inch pastry circles. Fill each pastry cup with about 1 tablespoon of mincemeat filling. Top with 2 inch pastry circles, pinching circles together to seal the edges. Brush the top of each pie with egg.
• Bake pies in preheated oven until tops are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly on wire racks. Dust with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar just before serving.

MINCE PIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., For filling, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Add apples, apricot, brown sugar, raisins, apple juice, vinegar, orange zest and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until apples are tender, 15-17 minutes. Stir in rum. Remove from heat; cool slightly., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut 20 circles with a floured 2-3/4-in. round biscuit cutter. Top half the circles with 1 tablespoon filling. Top with remaining circles; press edges with a fork to seal. Cut slits in top. Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

MINI MINCEMEAT PIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons orange peel and salt in processor. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk egg yolk and 2 tablespoons orange juice in small bowl. Add to processor; blend until moist clumps form, adding more juice by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Chill 30 minutes.
• Butter eighteen 1 3/4-inch-diameter mini muffin cups. Mix mincemeat, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, remaining 4 tablespoons powdered sugar and 3/4 teaspoon peel in small bowl. Roll out dough on floured surface to 17-inch round. Using 2 1/2-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 18 dough rounds. Press 1 round into bottom and up sides of each muffin cup. Using 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 18 more dough rounds (reroll dough if necessary). Fill crust in each muffin cup with 1 heaping teaspoon filling. Brush edges of smaller dough rounds with some of egg glaze. Place 1 round atop filling in each muffin cup, glazed side down, pressing dough edges to seal. Cut small X in center of each pie. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover pies and remaining glaze separately and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush pies with remaining egg glaze. Bake until crusts are golden, about 20 minutes. Using small knife, cut around pies to loosen; turn out onto rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MINCE PIES

Steps:

• Mince pies freeze very well, taking some of the headache out of all that Christmas preparation. If I make lots of these before Christmas, I freeze them raw and then cook them on the day. Cooked mince pies can be stored in a biscuit tin or airtight box and warmed through gently before serving. They are perfect with a glass of spicy mulled wine or a cup of coffee for a festive snack.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/Gas mark 6. Brush the tin with melted butter.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch/3 mm thick and, using the 2 1/2-inches/6 cm cutter, cut out 24 circles for the bases. Then use the smaller plain/fluted cutter or star cutter to cut-out 24 circles/stars for the lids. Re-roll the trimmings, if necessary.
• Line the holes of the cake tin with the larger pastry rounds. Fill each base with a teaspoon mincemeat and top with one of the smaller rounds or stars. Brush the tops of the mince pies with the beaten egg.
• Bake in the oven for 10 to 13 minutes until pale golden. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar (confectioners') to serve.
• This basic pastry is used in many popular recipes, from mince pies to quiches; it's also one of the easiest pastries to start with. The uncooked dough can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
• Shortcrust Pastry:
• Put the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and whiz briefly. Add half the beaten egg and continue to whiz. You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together. If making by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring it together. With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough until it is about 3/4-inch/2 cm thick, then wrap in cling film or place in a plastic bag and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Variations: Sweet Shortcrust Pastry: In place of the pinch of salt, use 1 tablespoon icing sugar (confectioners'). Soured cream shortcrust pastry: Replace the egg with 2 tablespoons sour cream or creme fraiche, adding just enough to bring it together.
• This delicious mincemeat will keep happily in a cool dark place for at least a year. If you are making your own suet (the fat that surrounds the beef kidney), make sure that every trace of blood has been removed before you whiz it in the food processor, otherwise it will cause the mincemeat to go off.
• Mincemeat:
• Put the apple chunks in a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon water, cover and cook over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until the apples are cooked down to a pulp. Allow to cool.
• Mix the apples with the orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, suet, raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel, dark brown sugar, almonds, mixed spice, and whiskey in a large bowl and put into sterilized jars.* Leave to mature, if possible for at least 2 weeks before using.
• Cut the fruit in 1/2 and squeeze out the juice. (Reserve the juice for another use, perhaps home-made lemonade.) Put the peel into a large bowl, add the salt and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 24 hours.
• Next day, throw away the soaking water; put the peel in a large saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for about 3 hours or until the peel is soft.
• Remove the peel from the pan and discard the water. Scrape out any remaining flesh and membrane from inside the cut fruit, using a teaspoon, leaving the white pith and rind intact.
• In a clean large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in 1 3/4 pints/1 litre of water, then bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the peel and simmer gently for 30 to 60 minutes until it looks translucent (shiny and 'candied') and the syrup forms a thread when the last drop falls off a metal spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 20 to 30 minutes to slightly cool.
• Put the candied peel into sterilized glass jars* and pour the syrup over. Cover and store in a cold place or in the refrigerator. It should keep, stored like this, for at least 3 months.

MINI MINCEMEAT CRUMBLE PIES

Steps:

• Make the mincemeat by mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes so the fruit absorbs some of the liquid. Make the pastry in a large bowl or food processor by blending the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and orange zest and then 2 tbsp water. Bring the mixture together with your hands, adding a few more drops of water if it feels a little dry. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4.
• Roll out half the pastry (keep the other half wrapped in the fridge) on a lightly floured surface. You want the pastry to be very thin, so it is crisp when cooked. Cut out 12 circles of pastry with a plain 6cm cutter (you will need to re-roll the pastry a couple of times) and use to line a 12-hole, non-stick mini muffin tin. It is quite a soft pastry, so any little gaps that form as you are lining the holes can easily be patched up. Chill while you make the topping.
• In a small bowl, make the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and almonds. With a teaspoon, fill each pastry case with mincemeat, gently pressing it down to leave room for the topping. Sprinkle the topping over each pie, place the tin on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
• Leave the pies to cool in the tin before taking them out carefully. They are fragile when hot, so use a small knife to help lift them out. Unless you have two mini muffin tins, repeat the process with the second batch of pastry, filling and topping. Eat the mini mince pies warm or cold, lightly dusted with icing sugar.

MINCEMEAT HAND PIES

Steps:

• Make the mincemeat: Stir fruits, candied peels, zests and juices, sugar, salt, spices, and 2 tablespoons water in a medium stockpot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in Cognac; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let mixture stand until cool. Mincemeat can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to slightly less than 1/8 inch thick. Cut into twenty-four 4-inch squares, gathering together scraps and rerolling if needed. Place 1 tablespoon mincemeat in 1 corner of each square. Brush edges with beaten egg. Fold each in half to form a triangle. Press edges to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pierce tops with tines of a fork. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Brush tops with beaten egg; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Transfer pies and parchment to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature, with brandy butter.