Puff pastry mince pies

Name: Puff pastry mince pies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry; ½ 411 g jar of mincemeat; 1 egg

Puff pastry mince pies are a really easy and tasty alternative to traditional mince pies. Made with ready made puff pastry and a jar of mincemeat, they couldn’t be simpler to make.

These puff pastry mince pies are perfect if you’re short on time or want something really easy to make with your kids. I love mince pies in all forms (they’re one of my favourite things to eat at Christmas time!), but sometimes I don’t have the time to make traditional ones with shortcrust pastry and that’s where these come in. These puff pastry mince pies can be ready in 30 minutes so they’re perfect if you’re short on time.

With only 3 ingredients (if you use ready rolled puff pastry and a jar of mincemeat) they’re a really easy and quick mince pie to make. They’re also lighter and can be smaller making them a great (almost) bite sized treat. If you’re hosting a festive party, these are the perfect appetiser.

What is mincemeat?

Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit (raisins, apple, orange, mixed peel), spices, and sometimes alcohol. Originally it contained meat, but generally hasn’t since the 20th century.

We often use shop bought mincemeat, but you can also make your own homemade mincemeat.

Can Puff pastry be used for mince pies?

Of course! Mince pies are traditionally made with shortcrust pastry, but that’s not to say that swapping the shortcrust for puff pastry doesn’t make a delicious alternative.

It’s certainly not the same as a traditional mince pie, but they are lovely light, flaky mince pie in their own right.

How can kids help make puff pastry mince pies?

These mince pies are really easy to do making them a great bake for kids to try.

If you use ready rolled puff pastry (like we do) you’ll just need to cut out the base and lid for each mince pie before adding some mincemeat. If you’ve made your own puff pastry or have a block of it, your kids can help you to roll it out to a nice thickness.

Again, we just used a jar of mincemeat from the supermarket but you can make your own or take a jar of mincemeat and add extra bits for interest like chopped apple or dried fruit.

How thick should be the puff pastry be?

We used a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry which comes in the perfect thickeness for these mince pies. If you’re rolling out your own puff pastry, you want it to be no more than around 5mm thick. If they’re much thicker than that, you’ll end up with too much pastry in each mouthful and not enough mince meat.

How long do puff pastry mince pies keep?

I prefer eating these mince pies when they are still a little bit warm from the oven, but they will keep for a day or so. If you’re eating them the next day, you might like to warm them a little in the oven before you serve them.

WHat to make with leftover mincemeat

If you liked this recipe and have more mincemeat to use up, you’ll love these other recipes
Easy homemade mince pies
Mincemeat loaf cake
Mincemeat palmiers
Mincemeat muffins
Mincemeat flapjacks
Mincemeat pinwheels
Mincemeat loaf cake

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these

Pastry brush
Round cutters
Rolling pin
Baking tray

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Ingredients

1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry
½ 411g jar of mincemeat
1 egg

How to make puff pastry mince pies

Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan or 350F and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Cut out the puff pastry bases

Lay the puff pastry sheet out and get your kids to cut some bases, using a round cutter. We managed to get around 12 using our 48mm (1 7/8 inch) cutter, but you might get slightly more or less depending on the size of your cutter and how close your kids manage to get the bases from the sheet.

Place the puff pastry bases on the prepared baking tray.

Add the mincemeat

Using a teaspoon, get your kids to add a little mincemeat to the middle of each pastry base. Don’t over fill them so that the insides don’t bubble out when they bake.

Get your kids to crack the egg into a small dish and give it a whisk. Brush the egg round the edge of the pastry base.

Make the puff pastry mince pies

Cut out a top for each of your mince pies from the remaining pastry. Use a cutter that is slightly larger than your bases. We used a 58mm (2 ¼ inch round cutter.)

Add the puff pastry tops to your mince pie bases and gently press down the sides. Get your kids to use a small fork to press down around the edges.

Get your kids to use the remaining egg to brush an egg wash over the top of each puff pastry mince pie.

Finally pierce the top of each mince pie with a skewer or sharp knife.

Bake the mince pies

Pop your baking tray in the oven and bake the mince pies for 10-15 minutes.

They’re ready when they have puffed up and turned a nice golden colour.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve and enjoy.

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