Puff Pastry Mince Pies are a flaky update on a British Christmas classic. Packed with traditional fruity mincemeat and topped with sugar crusted star shaped lids, my easy pie making method not only minimises waste but bakes up to look simply stunning.
Preheat the oven to 200c fan | 180c | 390c or equivalent.
Roll 320g Puff Pastry out on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thickness. Or unroll a sheet of ready rolled pastry.
Sprinkle over a little extra flour and gently rub it in if the surface of the pastry is at all tacky/wet to the touch. Turn the pastry over and do this on the reverse if you need to.
You will need to either do a little maths or have confidence in your eye to cut 10 equal squares from the pastry. I cut a 3 x 3 grid then an extra square to the side using a large sharp knife. The squares should be around 7.5cm/3” square.
Using a 4cm star cookie cutter, cut 10 stars from the remaining pastry. Dip the cutter in a little flour if needed.
Liberally oil 10 holes of a muffin tin. I like to use a spray and then a pastry brush to make sure no bit is uncovered. Don’t forget to oil right up to and slightly over the rim.
Take a square of pastry and carefully rest it over one muffin tin hole. Try to make sure it is centred.
Use your fingers to press the pastry down into the hole. It needs to touch the bottom but doesn’t need heavily pressing into the tin.
Use a finger to slightly squish the lower sides of pastry slightly up the tin. This is going to help contain the mincemeat a little better.
Repeat with the remaining pastry until you have 10 pastry cases.
Divide 350g Mincemeat between the pastry cases. Try to be vaguely neat about it. Specks of mincemeat everywhere can catch and burn.
Turn back to the pastry stars and remove any pastry scraps from around them. Use around 1 tbsp Double Cream to glaze the tops of the stars using a pastry brush.
Carefully place one star in the centre of each mincemeat filled pastry case.
Sprinkle approximately 10g Demerara Sugar over the stars and the exposed mincemeat.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes – until they are golden brown and none of the visible pastry looks to be uncooked.
Allow the cooked pies to sit in their tin for around one minute before using a plastic knife to make sure they are not stuck to the tin. Run the knife between the tin and the pastry until the pie is free and will spin around in its hole with no resistance.
Give the pies at least 10 more minutes in the tin before moving to a cooling rack. Or eating them warm.