This is the way I make my mince pies, and there is no changing me or them: they are small, to be popped straight into the mouth in one go; the pastry is plain, the better to contrast with the rich, fruited filling; and they have not full casings but little stars as lids, which makes them look beautiful and taste flutteringly light.
By all means use good shop-bought mincemeat if you want, but I'm hoping you might give my new Cranberry-Studded Mincemeat a go: it tastes both rich and boozy and fresh and fruity at the same time; and it makes for a slightly different mince pie, but in a welcome rather than challenging way.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
This is the way I make my mince pies, and there is no changing me or them: they are small, to be popped straight into the mouth in one go; the pastry is plain, the better to contrast with the rich, fruited filling; and they have not full casings but little stars as lids, which makes them look beautiful and taste flutteringly light.
By all means use good shop-bought mincemeat if you want, but I'm hoping you might give my new Cranberry-Studded Mincemeat a go: it tastes both rich and boozy and fresh and fruity at the same time; and it makes for a slightly different mince pie, but in a welcome rather than challenging way.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
For the Cranberry Studded Mincemeat - Makes About 600ml / 2½ Cups
60 millilitres ruby port
75 grams soft dark brown sugar
300 grams cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
75 grams currants
75 grams raisins
30 grams dried cranberries
finely grated zest and juice of 1 clementine
25 millilitres brandy
3 drops almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
For the Pastry
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
½ stick cold butter
juice of 1 orange
1 pinch of salt
⅔ cup mincemeat
confectioners' sugar (for dusting)
For the Cranberry Studded Mincemeat - Makes About 600ml / 2½ Cups
¼ cup ruby port
½ cup soft dark brown sugar
3 cups cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup Zante currants
½ cup raisins
¼ cup dried cranberries
finely grated zest and juice of 1 clementine
2 tablespoons brandy
3 drops almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
Method
Make the mincemeat in advance. In a large pan, dissolve the sugar in the ruby port over a gentle heat. Add the cranberries and stir. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, currants, raisins, dried cranberries and the zest and juice of the clementine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the fruit has broken down and has absorbed most of the liquid in the pan. (You may need to squish the cranberries a little with the back of a wooden spoon to incorporate them fully.) Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Add the brandy, almond extract, vanilla extract and honey and stir well with a wooden spoon to mash the mixture down into a paste. Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jars and, once cool, store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Then once you are ready to make your mince pies, get out a tray of miniature tart tins, each indent 4.5cm / 2 inches in diameter, along with a 5.5cm / 2¼ inch fluted, round biscuit cutter and a 4cm / 1¾ inch star cutter.
Measure the flour into a shallow bowl or dish and, with a teaspoon, dollop little mounds of vegetable shortening into the bowl, add the butter, diced small, shake to cover it, then put in the freezer for 20 minutes. This is what will make the pastry so tender and flaky later.Mix together the orange juice and salt in a separate, small bowl, cover and leave in the fridge to chill.
After the 20 minutes, empty the flour and fat into the bowl of your food processor and blitz until you’ve got a pale pile of porridge-like crumbs. Pour the salted juice down the funnel, pulsing until it looks as if the dough is about to cohere; you want to stop just before it does (even if some orange juice is left). If all your juice is used up and you need more liquid, add some iced water.
If you prefer to use a freestanding mixer to make the pastry, cut the fats into the flour with the flat paddle, leaving the bowl in the fridge to chill down for the 20-minute flour-and-fat-freezer session. Add liquid as above. I often find the pastry uses more liquid in the mixer than the processor.
Turn the mixture out of the processor or mixing bowl onto a pastry board or work surface and, using your hands, combine to a dough. Then form into 3 discs (you’ll need to make these in 3 batches, unless you’ve got enough tart tins to make all 36 pies at once).
Wrap each disc in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/gas mark 7/425ºF.
Roll out the discs, one at a time, as thinly as you can without exaggerating; in other words, you want a light pastry case, but one sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat. This is easy-going dough, so you don’t have to pander to it: just get rolling and patch up as you need.
Out of each rolled-out disc cut out circles a little wider than the indentations in the tart tins; I use a fluted cookie cutter for this. Press these circles gently into the moulds and dollop in a scant teaspoon of mincemeat.
Then cut out your stars with your little star cutter — re-rolling the pastry as necessary — and place the tops lightly on the mincemeat.
Put in the oven and bake for 10–15 minutes: keep an eye on them as they really don’t take long and ovens do vary.
Remove from the oven, prising out the little pies straight away and letting the empty tin cool down before you start putting in the pastry for the next batch. Carry on until they’re all done.
Dust over some icing sugar by pushing it through a tea strainer, and serve the pies with one of the butters from "Nigella Christmas".
Make the mincemeat in advance. In a large pan, dissolve the sugar in the ruby port over a gentle heat. Add the cranberries and stir. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, Zante currants, raisins, dried cranberries and the zest and juice of the clementine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the fruit has broken down and has absorbed most of the liquid in the pan. (You may need to squish the cranberries a little with the back of a wooden spoon to incorporate them fully.) Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Add the brandy, almond extract, vanilla extract and honey and stir well with a wooden spoon to mash the mixture down into a paste. Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jars and, once cool, store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Then once you are ready to make your mince pies, get out a tray of miniature tart tins, each indent 4.5cm / 2 inches in diameter, along with a 5.5cm / 2¼ inch fluted, round biscuit cutter and a 4cm / 1¾ inch star cutter.
Measure the flour into a shallow bowl or dish and, with a teaspoon, dollop little mounds of vegetable shortening into the bowl, add the butter, diced small, shake to cover it, then put in the freezer for 20 minutes. This is what will make the pastry so tender and flaky later.Mix together the orange juice and salt in a separate, small bowl, cover and leave in the fridge to chill.
After the 20 minutes, empty the flour and fat into the bowl of your food processor and blitz until you’ve got a pale pile of porridge-like crumbs. Pour the salted juice down the funnel, pulsing until it looks as if the dough is about to cohere; you want to stop just before it does (even if some orange juice is left). If all your juice is used up and you need more liquid, add some iced water.
If you prefer to use a freestanding mixer to make the pastry, cut the fats into the flour with the flat paddle, leaving the bowl in the fridge to chill down for the 20-minute flour-and-fat-freezer session. Add liquid as above. I often find the pastry uses more liquid in the mixer than the processor.
Turn the mixture out of the processor or mixing bowl onto a pastry board or work surface and, using your hands, combine to a dough. Then form into 3 discs (you’ll need to make these in 3 batches, unless you’ve got enough tart tins to make all 36 pies at once).
Wrap each disc in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/gas mark 7/425ºF.
Roll out the discs, one at a time, as thinly as you can without exaggerating; in other words, you want a light pastry case, but one sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat. This is easy-going dough, so you don’t have to pander to it: just get rolling and patch up as you need.
Out of each rolled-out disc cut out circles a little wider than the indentations in the tart tins; I use a fluted cookie cutter for this. Press these circles gently into the moulds and dollop in a scant teaspoon of mincemeat.
Then cut out your stars with your little star cutter — re-rolling the pastry as necessary — and place the tops lightly on the mincemeat.
Put in the oven and bake for 10–15 minutes: keep an eye on them as they really don’t take long and ovens do vary.
Remove from the oven, prising out the little pies straight away and letting the empty tin cool down before you start putting in the pastry for the next batch. Carry on until they’re all done.
Dust over some confectioners' sugar by pushing it through a tea strainer, and serve the pies with one of the butters from "Nigella Christmas".
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the mince pies up to 1 week ahead and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container layered up between sheets of greaseproof paper. Pop into a warm oven for 3-4 minutes before serving, dusted with icing sugar.
FREEZE AHEAD:
Make and pack the pies as above and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on a cooling rack and reheat as above.
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the mince pies up to 1 week ahead and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container layered up between sheets of greaseproof paper. Pop into a warm oven for 3-4 minutes before serving, dusted with icing sugar.
FREEZE AHEAD:
Make and pack the pies as above and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on a cooling rack and reheat as above.
These never fail! Beautiful, light and crisp pastry with scrummy cranberry filling.
Posted by Boogoose on 23rd December 2022
I made them and all the family loved them, wish I could show you a picture of them....
Posted by Mieke1957 on 21st December 2020
Very easy to make...I used sour cherries in the mincemeat and Cherry Brandy. They were amazing!
Posted by Waffle45 on 12th January 2020
Mum made these for Christmas
I have missed them and my Mum for some time, this will give me a chance to recreate Christmas past.
Many Thanks
Posted by Niska22 on 13th December 2019
I made this last christmas and it was a big hit. Light and flaky pastry. This year I made them again and they are very delicious. I didn’t have time to make the mince meat but used shop brought from a jar. A teaspoon was enough for each tart and roll the pastry extremely thin. This will give you the light and flaky pastry. I made over 36 pies from this recipe. This is definitely a keeper of a recipe!
Posted by wotlk on 5th December 2019
Mincemeat recipe was delicious, bright, fruity and light! Didn't have the port on hand, so I made a batch with cranberry juice and an extra dash of brandy. It was a bit more tart than the port version but it worked!
Posted by LisaBeet on 20th December 2018
I make these every year, the pastry is so easy to work with and the mincemeat is so festive and flavorful. A double batch of the dough uses all the mincemeat, for me, yielding about 50 pies. Merry Christmas!
Posted by lindafitzgerald on 17th December 2018
Made the first batch too large unfortunately, so I only got 28 pies out of it. And now need to make more because they are soooo delicious!
Posted by Morgian on 16th December 2018
The pastry in this recipe, with "dulce de leche" instead of mincemeat, is delicious!
Posted by DANINGO on 13th December 2018
Delicious. Made them today. Needed to substitute a few ingredients. No port so used grape juice instead. No dried cranberries so cut up some dried apricots to use instead. Also doubled the honey. Very yummy Christmas Tarts!
Posted by Marcialynn on 13th December 2018
Just like Mom use to make, only so much fancier!
Merry Christmas!
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What 24 Others have said
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Posted by Boogoose on 23rd December 2022
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Posted by Mieke1957 on 21st December 2020
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Posted by Waffle45 on 12th January 2020
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Posted by Niska22 on 13th December 2019
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Posted by wotlk on 5th December 2019
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Posted by LisaBeet on 20th December 2018
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Posted by lindafitzgerald on 17th December 2018
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Posted by Morgian on 16th December 2018
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Posted by DANINGO on 13th December 2018
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Posted by Marcialynn on 13th December 2018
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Posted by RobyH on 14th December 2017
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Posted by MoliYassa on 2nd December 2017
Show more commentsThese never fail! Beautiful, light and crisp pastry with scrummy cranberry filling.
I made them and all the family loved them, wish I could show you a picture of them....
Very easy to make...I used sour cherries in the mincemeat and Cherry Brandy. They were amazing!
Mum made these for Christmas I have missed them and my Mum for some time, this will give me a chance to recreate Christmas past. Many Thanks
I made this last christmas and it was a big hit. Light and flaky pastry. This year I made them again and they are very delicious. I didn’t have time to make the mince meat but used shop brought from a jar. A teaspoon was enough for each tart and roll the pastry extremely thin. This will give you the light and flaky pastry. I made over 36 pies from this recipe. This is definitely a keeper of a recipe!
Mincemeat recipe was delicious, bright, fruity and light! Didn't have the port on hand, so I made a batch with cranberry juice and an extra dash of brandy. It was a bit more tart than the port version but it worked!
I make these every year, the pastry is so easy to work with and the mincemeat is so festive and flavorful. A double batch of the dough uses all the mincemeat, for me, yielding about 50 pies. Merry Christmas!
Made the first batch too large unfortunately, so I only got 28 pies out of it. And now need to make more because they are soooo delicious!
The pastry in this recipe, with "dulce de leche" instead of mincemeat, is delicious!
Delicious. Made them today. Needed to substitute a few ingredients. No port so used grape juice instead. No dried cranberries so cut up some dried apricots to use instead. Also doubled the honey. Very yummy Christmas Tarts!
Just like Mom use to make, only so much fancier! Merry Christmas!
Delicious !