Mince Pies, just like my Mum used to make them. This Traditional Mince Pie recipe is a true classic. Get the recipe below.
When I was a child my favourite day was Christmas Eve. That's right, the day before Christmas Day. While most people love Christmas for the big roast dinner or opening presents, for me it's all about spending time with my family.
Christmas Eve started early in my house. We'd get up at 5am and drive to the town where my Mum and Dad first lived together. Here was the butcher where they bought their first Christmas turkey! The butcher they still buy their turkey from to this day. The queue at the butchers was huge, even so early in the morning.
They'd keep us warm with freshly baked mince pies and mulled wine as we waited in the cold.
After the turkey had been collected (and all the trimmings too), we took it home. Dad then got back in the car and headed off to work for the day. It was then that Mum and I got to baking. We'd make gingerbread, decorate the Christmas Cake and make our first batch of mince pies for the season. We never baked them a day sooner!
I've tweaked these classic Christmas recipes over the years, but the original recipe still have a place in my heart. This recipe is the exact same one I baked with my mum.
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Ingredients
There are just 7 ingredients (plus water) for this recipe. They are:
- Plain flour
- Salt
- Margarine
- Lard
- Mincemeat
- Milk
- Icing sugar
Some recipes will call for butter in the shortcrust pastry but we always made ours with a mix of margarine and lard. The result is a beautifully short pastry. In my opinion this combo gives the best possible texture.
Step-by-step Instructions
I've broken down the recipe into just 8 simple steps. They are:
- Step 1: rub together the fat and flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
- Step 2: by slowly adding the water, bring together the breadcrumbs into a ball of dough
- Step 3: wrap the dough tightly in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge until firm
- Step 4: roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out the pastry cases and lids
- Step 5: gently press the pastry bases into greased muffin tins
- Step 6: fill the mince pie bases with a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat
- Step 7: add the lids and brush with milk
- Step 8: bake until golden and dust with icing sugar as they cool
Substitutions
You could substitute the margarine and lard for butter if you really want. It will give a much richer pastry.
You could also swap the milk glaze for an egg wash.
Make your own mincemeat
If you're feeling brave enough to make the whole mince pie from scratch you'll need this recipe for mincemeat. If you want to make an alcohol free version simply swap the brandy for orange juice and add a couple of tablespoons more dark brown sugar.
Equipment
You'll need the following equipment to make these mince pies:
- A large mixing bowl to make the pastry
- Measuring spoons to measure out the water
- Cling film to wrap up the dough
- A rolling pin
- Cookie cutters to cut out the bases and lids of the mince pies
- Muffin tins to bake the mince pies in
- Pastry brush to brush over the milk
- Sieve to create a light dusting of icing sugar
Storage
You can store mince pies in an airtight container for up to a week. Beyond this and the pastry will go stale.
They don't last more than a day or two in my house!
Top tip
For perfect pastry every time, make sure you have cool hands and that the water you add to the dough is ice cold. You want to prevent the fats from melting so its important that when you're making the dough the fats are kept cool.
The recipe
I first learnt to make mince pies hanging off the apron strings of my Mum. This is the original recipe that she still uses to this day.
Traditional Mince Pies
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- measuring spoons
- cling film
- Rolling Pin
- cookie cutters
- muffin tins, 12 holes
- Pastry brush
- sieve
Ingredients
- 200 grams plain flour
- 50 grams margarine
- 50 grams lard
- 45 millilitres cold water (3 tbsp)
- 1 jar mincemeat
- 50 millilitres milk
- 1 pinch salt
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Sieve your flour and salt into a bowl.
- Cut the fat into cubes and the rub into the flour by pushing the fat and flour through your finger tips.
- Once the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs (and there are no large lumps of fat) add the water and stir until the mix begins to bind.
- To bring it all together, use your hands to form it into a ball. You may need a little more water to get it to bind together properly but don’t worry just go with your instincts!
- Next place the ball of pastry in a bowl cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 15mins.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C / 350F/ gas mark 4.
- After 15mins, dust a work surface with flour and cut the ball into two pieces - one representing ⅓ of the pastry the other ⅔rds.
- Roll out the larger pastry ball until a quarter of a centimetre thick.
- Using a large round cutter, cut out 12 bases.
- Gather the scraps together and roll out again as and when you need to.
- Do the same with the small ball of pastry using a cutter one size smaller than before. Cut out another 12 pieces, these will be your lids! (Alternatively use a star cutter for more decorative pies.)
- Grease cupcake tins and place the larger circles into the pans.
- Fill with a teaspoon of mincemeat and brush the edges with a little milk before placing the lids on top.
- Prick the lids with a fork and brush again with more milk.
- Place in the oven for 15mins or until golden, turning round halfway through.
- Once they are done pop on a cooling rack and dust with icing sugar.
Nutrition
More mince pie variations
Merry Christmas everyone!
Michele Smith says
I can’t find the individual amounts of the ingredients for the mince pies
Emma says
Hi Michele
If you scroll down there's a recipe card with all the measurements in. Perhaps it's not loading for you? Id try refreshing.
Happy Christmas!