Traditional Mincemeat Tarts 3 Ways (British Christmas Pies)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe, a podcast about food, culture, and love.

This recipe for Christmas Pies came from my podcast guest, Diana Rutherford, who made these in her very unique childhood living in self-sustaining Christian farm communities. Make sure you tune into her episode, Christmas in the Bruderhof while you make her mincemeat tarts - any one of the 3 ways she shares!

Mincemeat Tarts are a staple dish of the traditional British holiday season, marking an English tradition during the most festive time of the year.

Spoiler alert: Despite the name, mincemeat pies do not contain meat. Instead, they consist of dried fruit soaked in liqueur (sometimes up to a month!) encased in flaky pastry.

It's easy to create your own mincemeat using dried fruits, citrus zest, and the classic spices associated with Christmas. Follow Diana's recipe and enjoy the scent of the soaked fruits and spices for days.

Once the filling is prepared, you have the flexibility to shape your Christmas pies in one of three ways: as a Giant mince pie / large tart, mini mince pies using mini tart or regular muffin tins, or as handheld mince tarts with rustic crusts on both top and bottom.

Check out 47 Traditional Christmas Desserts Around the World to find other British classics like English Trifle or Peppermint Crisp Tart!

Listen to Diana's Story

Diana’s childhood was less defined by the place she lived - in fact, her family moved 22 times in 17 years - but by the communities she lived in all over the world.

Diana was raised in the Bruderhof, a global collection of self-sustaining farms where all members surrender their personal goods (yep, including Christmas presents) and accept roles for the greater good of the community.

Although Diana ultimately chose to leave the community, she retains warm memories of some aspects of her rather unique childhood, including Christmastime full of German Christmas traditions like simple decorations of candles and apples, spiritual songs, and classic bakes.

From the time Diana was 7, she spent increasing hours in the kitchen, which she truly loved, preparing meals for communities of 400 people. Thrilled to welcome Diana to the Christmas Around the World series today - and thank YOU so much for being here.

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Ingredients & Substitutions

Note: As long as you maintain the same quantities of dried fruits and Christmas spices, you can personalize this recipe a bit. For example, if you have a dislike for raisins, feel free to substitute them with an alternative. Refer to the complete recipe for specific measurements.

Mincemeat Filling

• Raisins
• Dried cranberries
• Dried apricots
• Granny Smith apple, grated
• Lemon zest OR Orange zest (or both) - Some buy or substitute dried orange peel or lemon peel. Or you can buy a combination of citrus peels. Here are instructions to make your own.
• Sugar
• Melted butter
• Pumpkin pie spice - You can use the Pioneer Woman's recipe of 3 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1.5 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1.5 teaspoon ground cloves to make your own. You won't use all of this, but it will last you through the holiday season!
• Grand Marnier - This can be rather expensive. Substitute with an orange liqueur of your choice.
• Brandy

Short Crust Pastry Dough

A note about this crust: It's very soft. I didn't think there was any way I'd be able to work with it. But... it was perfect. Easy to roll, easy to cut, easy to manipulate and move. It kept its shape well and you can see from the photo below just how flaky it turned out. Trust the process.

• All-purpose flour - This is best for making pie crusts. Cake flour or bread flour will make the pie crusts chewier rather than short and crumbly 
• Salt
• Butter
• Non-dairy Shortening like Crisco - Diana's recipe calls for a careful balance of fats (butter and shortening) for the perfect combination of flavor and moisture. I'd recommend following her ratio precisely on this one unless...
• Suet: Diana does NOT call for suet, but traditionally, mice tart dough was made with suet, fat from the kidney of a beef. You can use suet for the butter, shortening, or both. For more information on using suet, check out this post on Individual Steak and Kidney Puddings. Nowadays, there is also vegetable-based suet, but I can't speak to how well that would or would not work. Sounds like a contradiction in terms to me, to be honest 😉
• Egg or egg yolk to make an egg wash for the top of the tarts (handheld small tarts)

OPTIONAL

• Confectioner's or Icing Sugar - Optional: Not traditional, but Diana does it sometimes

Instructions

2 Days - 6 Months in Advance: Make the Mincemeat Filling

• Mix in a bowl: dried fruit, grated apple, lemon zest, sugar, and butter.
• Add the spices, Grand Marnier and brandy and combine. Cover and store in a cool place for 24 hrs.
• Mix again and let rest for another 24 hrs.
• Stir well. Transfer to an airtight container, with a well-sealed top. Can be refrigerated for up to 6 months.

Make the Mince Tart Dough

A note about this crust: It's very soft. I didn't think there was any way I'd be able to work with it. But... it was perfect. Easy to roll, easy to cut, easy to manipulate and move. It kept its shape well and you can see from the photo below just how flaky it turned out. Trust the process.

• In a bowl mix salt and flour.
• Mix in fat until fully incorporated. Don't over-mix. 
• Make a flour and water paste, add to the dough, and mix. Again, careful not to overmix. P.S. This is the part that I really questioned. It worked!
• Can wrap and refrigerate or freeze any dough at this point.

The Fun Part: Form the Tarts!

• Choose One Method
• Roll dough on a lightly floured surface. 
• Large Pie or Tart: Lay crust over the pan, overlapping over the sides
• Mini Tarts: Place the tart pan on the dough and cut a concentric circle at least an inch larger at every point than the edge of the pan. Fill tart shells halfway.
• Handheld Mincemeat Pies Method 1: Cut 3x3” circles and fill. Wet the edge of the dough and top with another circle. Seal with a fork.
• Handheld Mincemeat Pies Method 2: Cut 3x3” circles and fill. Fold the dough in half and seal with a fork.
• Brush with an egg wash.
• Bake at 350ºF until golden brown. See the recipe for specific times. 
• Cool on a rack until room temperature. Enjoy!

Top Tip

Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. They can easily spill over and parchment paper is the best way to avoid a headache cleaning up later. 

Variations: Endless!!!

All the things that can vary:

• Size and of pie/tart pan - handheld tarts to 3" mini tart pans all the way up to a deep dish pie
• Decorations! Lattice, Cutouts, Full crust tops with decorative piercings
• Cutout toppings: Put snowflakes, holly leaves, Christmas trees, snowflakes, stars, or anything else you can think of straight over the filling OR on top of a crust.

Equipment

• Paring knife to cut apples
• Zester for orange zest and lemon zest
• Pie pan
• Individual tart pans
• Large tart pan
• 3" Round Biscuit Cutter
• Decorative winter/Christmas/holiday cookie cutters

Storage

• Store the filling in the fridge for up to 6 months. This is better than freezing as the apple would become overly brown and mushy when defrosting.
• Store the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours or wrap tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Once baked, the mince tarts will be fresh on the counter for up to 48 hours. Wrap well and freeze in an airtight container up to 6 months. Defrost and pop in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes or so to reheat.

More Classic British Recipes

More Traditional Christmas Desserts Around the World

Recipe

British Christmas Pies: Mincemeat Tarts 3 Ways

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• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Classic Christmas Pies!! Learn how to make Mincemeat tart filling, the perfect pastry, and all the fun ways to shape your mince pies.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Filling

• 1/2 cup (100 g) raisins (see note)
• 1/3 cup (50 g) chopped dried cranberries (see note)
• 1/4 cup cup (50 g) chopped dried apricots (see note)
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, grated
• 1 tsp lemon zest (see note)
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 2 oz (60 g) melted butter
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see note)
• 1 tbsp Grand Marnier (see note)
• 1/2 tbsp (50 ml) Brandy (see note)

Dough

• 4 cup flour (less than 1.1kg)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter soft (250g)
• 1 cup shortening (250g)
• 1/4 cup flour (additional)
• 1/4 cup water

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Instructions

Cue Up The Episode!

Make sure you listen to Diana's episode, Christmas in a Brüderhof Communities with Diana Rutherford while you make her mincemeat tarts!

Make The Recipe

Two Days - 6 Months in Advance Make the Filling

1. Mix in a bowl: raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, grated apple, lemon zest, sugar, and butter.
2. Add the spices, Grand Marnier and brandy and combine. Cover and store in a cool place for 24 hrs.
3. Mix again and let rest for another 24 hrs.
4. Stir well. Transfer to an airtight container, with a well-sealed top. Can be refrigerated for up to 6 months.

Make the Crust Dough

1. In a bowl mix salt and flour.
2. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix in fat until fully incorporated (resembling cookie dough crumbs)
3. Incorporate.
4. Make a paste with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup flour. Mix into the dough with a fork. Don't over-mix.

For Handheld Pies or Tarts

1. Form into 4 even balls. (270-280 g each). Can wrap and freeze any extra dough.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough. Use a 3” biscuit cutter to cut circles and fill with 3 Tbsp. filling.
3. Wet the edge of the dough and top with another circle. Seal well with a fork.
4. Place handheld pies on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
5. Brush with an egg wash of one egg and 1 teaspoon water.
6. Bake at 350ºF / 175°C until golden brown, around 15 – 20 minutes.
7. Cool on rack until room temp. Enjoy!

For Mini Tarts

1. On a floured surface, roll out the dough.
2. Place one tart pan on the dough. Cut a concentric circle at least an inch larger at every point than the edge of the pan. Repeat for all tart pans.
3. Fill tart shells halfway or less. DO NOT OVERFILL.
4. Place mini tarts on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
5. Use excess dough to cut out top crusts or decorative toppings for tarts.
6. Brush with an egg wash of one egg and 1 teaspoon water.
7. Bake at 350ºF /175°C until golden brown, around 15 – 20 minutes.

For One Large Mince Tart / Christmas Pie

1. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a diameter at least 2 inches wider than your tart pan.
2. Place dough into tart pan.
3. Fill halfway. Do not overfill.
4. Roll the second circle. Form a top crust, or make a lattice, or cut decorative shapes for a topping.
5. Place pie pan or tart pan on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
6. Brush with an egg wash of one egg and 1 teaspoon water.
7. Bake at 350ºF / 175°C until golden brown, around 45 minutes.

Notes

• As long as you have roughly 2 cups of your favorite dried fruit, this recipe will work great.
• Rather than fresh lemon zest, some people prefer store-bought or homemade lemon peel, orange peel, or mixed peel.
• Grand Marnier can be expensive. Substitute with an orange liqueur of your choice.
• You can make your own pumpkin pie spice with the Pioneer Woman's recipe. She recommends 3 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1.5 teaspoon ground allspice, 1.5 teaspoon ground cloves.
• Make sure you listen to Diana's episode, Christmas in a Brüderhof Communities with Diana Rutherford while you make her mincemeat tarts!

 

 

4o

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Baking, Christmas, Dessert
• Cuisine: British

Nutrition

• Calories: 1.675
• Sugar: 41
• Sodium: 542
• Fat: 111
• Saturated Fat: 50
• Carbohydrates: 159
• Fiber: 7
• Protein: 15
• Cholesterol: 152