Traditional Shortcrust Pastry Mince Pies

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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.

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings pies

Author Chloe

Equipment

Rolling Pin

Muffin Tin

Cookie Cutters - Star optional

Cookie Cutters - Round

Silicone Pastry Brush

Palette Knife plastic

Ingredients

400 g Shortcrust Pastry
450 g Mincemeat
1 Egg - approx
10 g Demerara Sugar (Turbinado Sugar) - approx
Plain Flour (All Purpose) - for dusting
Vegetable Spray Oil
Icing Sugar (Confectioner's Sugar) - to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200c fan | 180c | 390c or equivalent.
Place 400g Shortcrust Pastry on a floured surface. Or unroll a sheet of ready rolled pastry.
Roll the pastry to about ¼ inch thickness - around 25x35cm or 10"x13". Try to keep it a nice and even thickness. Keep turning and flipping the pastry so it doesn't stick. Sprinkle more flour as you need.
Use your 3.5in/9cm cookie cutter to check that you have enough pastry rolled out to cut 12 circles. Or work in batches if you've increased the quantity of the recipe.
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.
Cut out the 12 rounds. Dip the cookie cutter into little flour if needed. Don't twist the cutter as you cut but do lean hard on it so it does cut all the way through the pastry.
Slightly oil 12 holes of a muffin tin. I like to use a spray and then a pastry brush to make sure no bit is uncovered.
Take a pastry circle 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.
It needs to touch the bottom but only needs pressing into the tin gently.
Repeat with the remaining pastry until you have 12 pastry cases.
Using a star cookie cutter, cut at least 12 stars from the remaining pastry. Dip the cutter in a little flour if needed. You can cut various sizes like I have or have fun with other shapes.
Whisk 1 Egg in a small bowl.
Note that you don't need to use more than one egg if you've increased the quantity of the other ingredients - not unless you're making at least 6 plus batches when you might need to use one more.
Use a pastry brush to wash around the sides of the pastry cases. Make sure to get the top edge of the pastry.
It is easier and less messy to do this now rather than after the mincemeat is added.
Put around 450g Mincemeat into a bowl. I like to do this rather than spoon straight from the jar so I can give it a little mix and make it easier to spoon.
Spoon the mincemeat between the pastry cases. Try to be vaguely neat about it. Specks of mincemeat everywhere can catch and burn.
Keep going until all of the cases are evenly filled. I do like to put a little in each then go back and top them up.
Turn back to the pastry stars and remove any pastry scraps from around them. Make sure each star is loose and not stuck to the board.
Use more of the beaten egg to glaze the tops of the stars using a pastry brush. Again it is easier and cleaner to do this now than after they're on the pies.
Carefully place at least one star on top of each mincemeat filled pastry case.
Keep going until all of the stars are used and all the pies have a top.
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.
Serve with a light dusting of icing sugar.

Nutrition (Approx)