There are thousands of mince pie recipes on the internet but these deep-filled mince pies are my new favourite. I like a good fruit mince-to-pastry ratio and with these, I have achieved this. Because the pastry is very much like shortbread having it thick is so delicious. They are made by hand with no pastry rolling required.
If I’m not making my favourite apple and mince pie crumble bars which is the easiest way to make a mince pie-type treat, I will be wanting to make these. That recipe also uses a shortbread pastry base and a foolproof.
Once you start making your own mince pies with fruit mince filling you will struggle to go back to buying store-bought. Last week I made the best Christmas fruit mince with cherries and used that to fill these pies.
How to make deep-filled Christmas mince pies
Lightly spray the cupcake pan with non-stick baking spray. I used a non-stick pan too.
The buttery shortbread-like pastry for these mince pies is quite crumbly so there is no need to roll it out. You make them by pressing pieces of the dough into the base and up the sides of the tin with your fingers.
You can make them as thick as you like. I made 10 mince pies with this quantity of pastry, but you could make them a little thinner and get 12.
I used a 12 whole cupcake pan that is slightly shallower than a standard muffin tin. If you are using a muffin tin, don’t fill them right to the top unless you want to make very big mince pies. I guess nothing wrong with that either.
If you are worried about dividing the dough, after making about 8, make the mince pies one at a time so you know you have enough dough.
Top each mince pie with the pastry crumbled over the top, similar to an apple pie. When it bakes it forms a crispy top and looks very pretty. Ensure that the crumble properly covers the filling (it doesn’t matter if the odd gap appears though).
Bake the pies as long as required and ensure they are golden brown. Oven temperatures differ so they may need a little longer.
Can you freeze mince pies?
You can freeze mince pies, either unbaked or when they are baked.
To freeze unbaked mince pies, simply place the unbaked mince pies that are in the tray into the freezer. Once they are frozen, gently lift them out and put them in a sealed bag and then back into the freezer.
It is better to freeze unbaked mince pies and bake them off fresh when you want to eat them. Take the frozen mince pies out of the freezer and place them in the greased molds. Bring to room temperature and then bake as per the recipe instructions.
To freeze baked mince pies, remove them from the freezer, allow them to thaw, and then reheat them in a medium oven, air fryer, or microwave until warm.
Mince pies made with phyllo pastry are not suitable for freezing.
A few other Christmas recipes you might like:
My ultimate indulgent fruitcake recipe
The best shortbread mine pie crumble cookies
Mince pie cinnamon sticky buns
Christmas mince pie frangipane tart
Pear mince pies
Easy stout fruit cake
This recipe makes 10 – 12 deep mince pies and more if you are using a shallow pan.
This recipe is adapted from the BBC Goodfood Unbelievably easy mince pies. I have added orange zest to the pastry made them deep filled and created a crumble topping. You can of course make smaller/shallower mince pies if you want to.
I have used my best Christmas fruit mince with cherries which I posted last week (see the link above)
A few recipe ideas for Christmas
My favourite festive season recipes
Easy deep filled mince pies
Very easy and delicious deep-filled Christmas mince pies with a hint of orange and a homemade cherry fruit mince filling. All are made by hand.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:25 minutes mins
Cook Time:25 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 350 g cake flour flour
- 100 g caster sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 225 g cold salted butter cut into cubes
- Approx. 250gm fruit mincemeat
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
25Preheat the oven to180C/350 Fan forced or 200C/400F conventional.
To make the pastry, mix the flour, caster sugar, and lemon zest until well combined.
Add the cubed butter and using your hands work it into the flour to form a crumb.
Keep pressing the pastry until its starts to form a ball. You will think that it is too crumbly but it will start to come together. It is like a shortbread dough.
Lightly spray a shallower 12-hole non-stick cupcake tin with baking spray. Alternatively, use a shallower muffin tin. If you are using a regular muffin tin, try not to fill it all the way to the top or make 10 bigger mince pies.
Pinch off a small ball of dough and press it into the cupcake tin. Don’t make the base too thick and press it around the sides.
Fill each case with a dessert spoon of Christmas fruit mince.
Crumble the remaining pastry with the leftover crumbled dough ensuring you cover all the fruit. The pastry will bake to form a more solid topping.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. The time it takes will vary on your oven but ensure the tops are golden before you remove them.
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove to a wire rack to cool further.
Lightly dust with icing or caster sugar to serve.
Store in an airtight container. These mince pies should keep for at least a week if they can last that long.
Notes
Make smaller/shallower mince pies if you prefer. Simply press out the dough to line your mold and fill accordingly.
You can make a more solid pastry topping by pressing out a round disc the size of the top of the mince pie
Servings: 12
Author: Sam Linsell
