Leftover Mince Pie Apple Crumble (Microwave)

This Leftover Mince Pie Apple Crumble is a really fun way to do something a little different with your leftover shortcrust pastry mince pies. With an apple and mincemeat filling base and buttery pastry “crumble” topping, not only is this a delicious dessert, it’s also cooked in the microwave so it’s extremely quick too!

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I came up with this recipe as I was sitting and staring at a pack of mince pies in January wondering what on earth to do with them. I’d just finished writing one of my Microwave Sponge Pudding recipe post and then I had a lightbulb moment! By deconstructing the pies and adding some fruit, they’d make a perfect crumble topping.

So I had a little experiment and the results were even better than I imagined. The pastry softens in places and stays crunchy in others. And the mincemeat filling adds a great flavour hit to the apple base. The apples themselves really bulk out the mince pies to make a fully rounded dessert. And of course being microwaved from start to finish, it is a seriously quick bake.

How to Serve Mince Pie Apple Crumble

Like any hot crumble recipe, the question here is really “custard, cream or ice cream?”. And any of those options are really very acceptable. I am a big fan of lots of double cream or clotted cream if I can have it. A really good thick creme fraiche adds a nice touch of tang if you’re a fan.

If you are making this recipe not long after Christmas, this is an excellent time to also use up the tub of Extra thick Bailey’s or cointreau flavoured cream. You know, the one that jumped off the shelf at you but you ended up not quite knowing what to do with it. Oh, just me? Never mind, as you were. But on this note, any leftover brandy butter is also an excellent accompaniment.

As for custard, I am a perennial fan of custard powder custard, also made in the microwave. Or for a touch of luxury, my homemade from scratch ginger custard is truly a delight.

I also like to say that crumble is the perfect breakfast options too. Serve with some yogurt and really it’s just fancy granola and fruit compote.

Leftover Mince Pie Crumble Ingredients

Apples

I’ve used just regular eating apples for this crumble as I am generally inclined to do. They’re just more likely to be what I have in the house. You can use any apple including cooking/bramley apples if you prefer. You may want to add a little extra sugar to the apples if you are using something very tart.

I don’t peel my apples when making crumble, I find that the skin softens during the cooking process and just becomes one with the rest of the apple. But if you have a real preference, you can of course remove the skin.

Mince Pies

I used just standard run of the mill M&S mince pies. They’re about 60g/2oz each, made with shortcrust pastry and just regularly filled with standard mincemeat. But this recipe is incredibly forgiving so you can use almost any regular style mince pies made with sweet or shortcrust pastry. Fancy mincemeat fillings or deep filled pies are totally fine to use.

Since originally publishing this recipe, I’ve now shared and developed my own recipe for Traditional Shortcrust Pastry Mince Pies which either use store-bought or my All Butter Shortcrust Pastry Recipe. They’re the perfect size to use for this recipe.

Traditional Shortcrust Pastry Mince Pies

This recipe for Traditional Shortcrust Pastry Mince Pies does what it says on the tin. Use homemade or store-bought shortcrust pastry and mincemeat as you please. Made in a standard muffin tin but without being overly deep-filled, this fuss-free recipe includes full step-by-step instructions with photographs so even a novice baker can make perfect but easy mince pies.

I would however avoid using mince pies made with puff pastry or anything a bit more unusual (albeit now quite common) like frangipane or viennese whirl topped pies. You could of course experiment using these but I certainly couldn’t tell you the likely result!

Lemon Juice

The lemon juice is simply to ensure that the apple doesn’t oxidise and discolour as it’s being prepared. But it does have the benefit of also adding a tang of acidity to the crumble.

I just use bottled lemon juice – I always keep a bottle handy in the fridge. But if you want to juice an actual lemon, feel free to do so.

Sugar

I’ve used two types of sugar in this recipe. The first is used to sweeten the apple and mincemeat mixture. You can use regular white granulated or caster (superfine) sugar. To add a slightly more caramel note, you could use light brown sugar. For a less sweet option and to add a real depth of flavour, you could use muscovado/dark brown sugar.

The second type of sugar is demerara sugar which is simply sprinkled on top before the crumble is cooked. This just adds an extra crunch. You can skip this step or use regular white sugar if you prefer.

Be Flexible

This is a really good base recipe to work from. You can add other fruits, stir in more mincemeat straight from the jar or change the flavours of the filling.

Try adding some orange zest or a glug of booze to the apples. You can also amp up the spices by adding some extra mixed spice or cinnamon/ginger etc as you wish.

You do need to be careful adding other fruits to the apple as anything very juicy can make the crumble too wet. If you find there is a lot of liquid after microwaving the apple, you can simply drain this off. Or stir in a slurry of cornflour and cold water. I would only tackle this if you are a more confident cook/baker.

Vegetarian or Vegan Leftover Mince Pie Crumble

This recipe can be made vegetarian or vegan by picking your mince pies accordingly. As all of the other ingredients in the recipe are naturally vegan, the pies are the only consideration.

Even though traditional mince pie filling is made with beef suet, the vast majority of commercially available mince pies, and most mincemeat, is made with vegetarian suet. The pastry may or may not contain butter depending on the recipe. But again vegan mince pies are also fairly readily available too. These will of course be entirely plant based. So simply pick the pie that suits your needs.

Make Allergy Friendly Mince Pie Crumble

This recipe may contain egg, dairy, gluten or nuts depending on the mince pies you use. There are none of these allergens in the other recipe ingredients.

As I’ve mentioned above, vegetarian and vegan mince pies are available to buy. You can also buy gluten free mince pies or other free from options as needed. Just make sure to check the packaging as needed.

Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

Equipment Notes for Microwave Apple Crumble

Microwave

This recipe clearly hinges on having a Microwave.

I use the microwave on full power and the times given are for a 700/800w microwave. If you have a more or less powerful microwave, you may need to adjust the cooking times by 30 seconds one way or the other.

Although saying that, providing that you use an oven safe dish, you could easily cook this in the oven. But it would take about 45 minutes to cook.

Cooking Dish

The most important thing to think about here is what dish you will be using to microwave the crumble in. My preference is to use a pyrex casserole dish. Unlike most of my microwave puddings where I use a bowl to end up with a domed shape pudding, this crumble is better made in something with a flatter bottom.

If you only have a bowl, it will be fine, you’ll just have a deeper fruit layer. What you should avoid using is melamine or bamboo dishes. They absorb all the heat, get far to hot and leave your food uncooked.

A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.

Get Ahead

You can prepare and cook the apples and/or deconstruct the mince pies anytime up to a couple of days in advance. Store them in the fridge.

Just don’t add the butter to the pastry or top the fruit with the crumble until you are ready to finish the cooking.

Leftover Microwave Crumble

You can store any leftovers in the fridge or freezer. Make sure to store in an air tight container or wrap very well. I would recommend freezing in single portions for both convenience and speed of defrosting.

Leftovers are really easy to reheat – simple microwave in portions until piping hot.

Leftover Mince Pie Crumble Tips

Although I’ve been fairly specific with my ingredient quantities etc in the recipe, you can be fairly relaxed about the whole thing.

This is the kind of recipe where you can adapt to what you have on hand quite easily.

You just need to bear in mind that if you majorly increase one ingredient like the apples for example, you will need to use a little more lemon juice and sugar. Same goes for the amount of crumbled pastry and melted butter.

Do be careful when taking the dish in and out of the microwave, it can get very hot.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?

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The Recipe

Leftover Mince Pie Apple Crumble (Microwave Recipe)

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This Leftover Mince Pie Apple Crumble is a really fun way to do something a little different with your leftover shortcrust pastry mince pies. With an apple and mincemeat filling base and buttery pastry "crumble" topping, not only is this a delicious dessert, it's also cooked in the microwave so it's extremely quick too!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time8 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Servings 4

Author Chloe

Equipment

• Wooden Board
• Sharp Knife – Small
• Measuring Scales
• Measuring Spoons
• 2 Mixing Bowl – Small
• Mixing Bowl – Medium 1l – heatproof
• Silicone Spatula
• Microwave

Ingredients

 

MetricUSA Measurements

 

0.5x1x2x4x

• 650 g Apples - Prepared, circa 800g unprepared
• 5 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 360 g Mince Pies - roughly 6 x 60g
• 50 g Salted Butter
• 1 tbsp Demerara Sugar (Turbinado Sugar)

Instructions

 

• Prepare the apples by using a sharp knife to cut them into quarters, cut out the core and then cut into thin slices.

  You want to end up with roughly 650g/23oz of Prepared Apple. I used 800g/28oz of apple. You will need slightly more if you prefer to also peel the apples as this will create more waste.
  
• Place the sliced apples into a microwave safe bowl as you cut them. Stir in 2 tbsp Lemon Juice.

  You can add the juice with the first slices of apple to stop them browning. Stir each time you add more apples to the bowl.
  
• Add 5 tbsp Sugar and stir through the apples.
  
• Microwave the apples on high for 3 minutes. Stir well then heat for a further 2 minutes.
  
• The apples should be fully soft by this time. If they aren't, continue cooking in short bursts until they are.

  (Note if you are cooking into a plastic bowl you may wish to reduce the cooking time by 1 or 2 minutes.)
  
• While the apples cook, remove the lids from each of 360g Mince Pies. Place the pastry into a bowl.
  
• Use a spoon to scoop the mincemeat filling into another bowl.

  If the pies are in foil tins, keep them in the tin while you do this, otherwise it is much harder to scoop the filling without the pie crumbling.
  
• Place the rest of the pie crusts with the lids and discard the foils.
  
• Use your fingers to crumble the pastry into small crumbs.
  
• Use the microwave to melt 50g Salted Butter.
  
• Stir the melted butter into the crumbled pastry.
  
• Keep mixing until it is evenly distributed.
  
• Add the scooped mincemeat filling to the cooked apples.

  If the mincemeat is cool or quite firm, you can microwave it for 30 seconds so it is looser and easier to mix with the apples.
  
• Gently stir the mincemeat through the apples.
  
• Sprinkle the buttery pastry crumbs over the apple/mincemeat mix.

  Keep it loose rather than packing it in.
  
• Sprinkle over 1 tbsp Demerara Sugar.
  
• Microwave on high for 6-7 minutes.

  (Note if you are cooking into a plastic bowl you may wish to reduce the cooking time by 1 or 2 minutes.)
  
• The crumble is ready when the apples are bubbling away. and starting to peek through the crumble.
  
• Allow the crumble to sit for a minute before serving straight from the dish.

Nutrition (Approx)

Calories: 600kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 71g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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