I’m so excited to share this recipe for Sarah’s Christmas Mince Pies with you. There is something very special about recipes gifted by friends and family. I have a notebook stuffed full of handwritten recipes that I’ve collected over the years. Some are still written on the original scraps of paper I scribbled them down on. Others have been neatly transcribed to the pages.
My favourite recipe for Christmas Mince Pies was gifted to me by a friend many years ago. Sarah and I met poolside, chatting in the mum-huddle while our children took swimming lessons together. I always admired her style. She would show up looking so put together – clearly she had an eye for fashion.
Along with her style kudos, I discovered that Sarah was also a home cooking enthusiast. Conversation often turned to recipes we’d tried and food ideas. Around December, we discovered a mutual love of Christmas mince pies. Every week at swimming class, we’d swap notes on which brand we had tried that week, and whether or not they were better than the last one. When I told Sarah I wanted to have a go at making my own mince pies, she offered to share her recipe with me.
As with most recipes, I’ve tweaked this one a little to put my own stamp on it. For the filling, I’ve swapped raisins for golden sultanas, omitted the mixed peel, and added nutmeg. The pastry, on the other hand, is perfection, and I haven’t changed a thing! It’s light, crisp, and soft all at the same time. It’s not too sweet either, so it’s a perfect pairing for the sweet filling.
These Christmas mince pies make lovely Christmas gifts. They are also delicious with a cup of tea.
These days, Sarah’s taken her fashion talent next level, and is killing it with her Instagram and style blog Sarah London Style. Check her out if you’re interested in thoughtfully curated, sustainable style!
Sarah's Christmas Mince Pies
Equipment
- Patty pans/tins the size will determine how many pies this recipe will make
- Food processor optional
- Star-shaped cookie cutters
Ingredients
Fruit Mince Filling
- 1½ granny smith apple
- 80 g glacé cherries finely chopped
- 125 g currants
- 50 g dried figs finely chopped
- 125 g golden sultanas
- 125 g sultanas
- 50 g slivered almonds finely chopped
- 1 orange finely grated zest & juice
- ½ lemon finely grated zest & juice
- 100 g brown sugar ½ cup firmly packed
- 1 TBS honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 80 g butter
- 50 ml Cointreau, dark rum or brandy
Pastry
- 1½ cups plain flour
- ½ cup self-raising flour
- ¼ cup icing (superfine) sugar
- 150 g chilled butter cubed
- 2–3 TBS iced water
Instructions
For the Fruit Mince
- Peel and coarsely grate the apples into a large bowl. Add all other fruit mince ingredients and mix well. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Unused mixture can be spooned into sterilised jars and stored in the fridge for up to 2 months.Makes approx 3 cups
For the Pastry
- Put flours, sugar and butter in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add iced water gradually until the mixture just comes together. Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Shape pastry into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To Assemble
- Preheat oven to 180°c and lightly grease patty tins. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3mm. Cut out rounds using a pastry cutter or upturned glass to suit the size of your patty tins. Line patty tins with pastry and fill with 2 to 3 teaspoons of mince, depending on the size of your patty tins.
- Roll out remainder of pastry and cut out enough stars to cover all your pies. Place stars on top of mince filling and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is just golden. Leave to cool in tins.
- When completely cool, dust pies with icing sugar. May be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.