Easy Shortcrust Mince Pies
Serves : 24 pies
Leave out Santa’s favourite treat on Christmas Eve with these easy to make shortcrust mince pies. A family recipe that’s been a firm favourite for 40 years.
Ingredients
- 225 g Butter Unsalted, Cold
- 350 g Plain Flour or All-Purpose Flour
- 100 g Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- 400 g Mincemeat Homemade or Store-bought
- 1 Eggs Medium
- 2 tbsp Milk
- Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar, to dust
VIDEO
Instructions
- To make the pastry: Cube the cold butter, and add it into a large mixing bowl with the flour. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips or use a pastry cutter. Add the sugar and mix together again
- Add the egg into the dry ingredients, and bring everything together into a pastry dough.
- Using your hands, press and knead the mixture to combine it into a ball. If needed, add the milk a little at a time to help the pastry come together.
- Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- To make the mince pies: Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the pastry until about 2-3mm thickness.
- With a 9-10cm round cutter, cut out pastry discs and place into a mince pie tin. You should get about 24 discs out of the pastry, depending on thickness and the size of cutter you used.
- Add a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case.
- Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out smaller discs, and place over the mincemeat. Press down on the edges to seal. You can also decorate with different shapes cut out from the pastry.
- Beat a small egg and brush over the tops of the mince pies.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
- Leave the mince pies to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, before removing them and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Lightly dust with icing sugar, and serve slightly warm with brandy cream, custard or rum butter.
Notes
- These shortcrust mince pies will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container, or you can make them ahead and keep them in the freezer and reheat when you’re ready to eat them. Just remember to defrost them before warming up.
- Really cold butter - keep your butter in the fridge until you're ready to use it. If warms up too much you can end up with a greasy, dull pastry.
- Use a pastry cutter - if you're like me and have 'hot hands', a pastry cutter is great for cutting your butter into the flour. Alternatively, you can blitz the ingredients in a food processor with the knife attachment.
- Let the dough rest - once the pastry is made, wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This lets the dough chill and relax, so it's easier to roll out, and also reduces the risk of your pastry cases shrinking when baked.
- Try a marble pastry board - the cool marble will reduce the risk of the pastry getting too warm as you roll out.
- Ready-made shortcrust pastry - if all else fails and you're in a rush, then grab a block of ready-made pastry and you can have your mince pies made in under 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pieCalories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 160mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 234IUCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
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