You need mince pies of some description at Christmas and this year I made Mini Mince Pies. The easiest way to make Mince Pies or Tarts is to buy ready made pastry and a jar of mincemeat, stick it all together, cook it, and done! If you’d like to make the pastry yourself too, here’s a little recipe.
How do you make the Mince Pies so little?
I used a shallow yorkshire pudding tin to make the mini mince pies but you could use a muffin tin or similar to make deeper fill mince pies. As you’ll be making these just a couple of times a year it isn’t worth buying a dedicated pan and instead just make do with whatever baking sheet you have – something will work wonders.
Why should I make Mini Mince Pies rather than bigger ones?
Mini Mince Pies just look so cute – and who doesn’t love cute food? plus, they are bitesize making them lovely for a little treat, snack or to be enjoyed with a cup of tea. They sit perfectly next to a tea cup on a saucer!
If you gift these mince pies you can give more of them than normal size ones, making it feel like a more substantial gift and they work out quite a nice size for children rather than a really substantial full size mince pie.
Mince pies are one of my favourite things during the festive season and having mini ones gets rid of so much of that mince pie eating guilt that comes with Christmas. They’re also a great way of using up leftover mincemeat and keep for a few days in an airtight container. There really is no reason not to make them. So what are you waiting for?
Here’s our Mini Mince Pies Recipe – happy baking!
Mini Mince Pies Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 100 g butter
- 25 g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 300 g mincemeat
- 1-2 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4. Grease your chosen tin with butter.
- Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the icing sugar and egg yolk and add the milk until a soft dough is formed.
- Put the dough on a floured surface and knead gently until smooth.
- Make the dough into a ball and roll out to 1cm thick.
- Cut circles from the dough using a round cutter and press lightly into the holes of your tin.
- Put a large spoonful of mincemeat in each pastry case leaving room for it to expand when cooking.
- Cut star shapes from the leftover dough and place on top.
- Brush the tops of the mince pies with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for approx 15 minutes or until browned.
