I was inspired to make my own mince pies after eating them in London. From what I’ve researched, bakeries will often prepare the mincemeat filling months, sometimes years ahead, to really develop the flavor. While I’d love to try that one day, I decided to shortcut for my first bake, and bought a jar from a gourmet shop while in London.
The crust is a pretty standard sweet shortcrust pastry recipe, but for extra flakiness, I used half butter for the flavor, and half vegan lard for the flaky texture. The vegan lard was nice because it didn’t impart the savoriness that the animal-based version would; however, you can also substitute with shortening.
For serving, I liked the mince pies warm with Cognac butter spread on top. A dusting of confectioners’ sugar would be lovely as well.
Mince Pies
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (260g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (85g) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for greasing
6 tablespoons (85g) cold vegan lard, cubed
2 (28g) egg yolks, beaten
2 1/2 cups or 1 jar (600g) mincemeat
1 (50g) large egg, beaten, for sealing and glazing
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Cognac butter, for serving
Directions:
In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse until combined. Add the butter and lard. Pulse until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Drizzle in the egg yolks while pulsing, until the dough starts to come together. If it feels dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until it holds.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and bring together to form a round disc, about 1″ thick. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour or up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 12-well muffin tin.
Roll out the dough 1/4″ thick. If it gets too soft, place the dough onto a sheet pan and place in the fridge for 5 minute before resuming. Use 4-inch and 3.5-inch round cutters to cut out 12 bottoms and 12 tops, re-rolling the dough till you have the complete set.
Press the larger rounds into the cavities of the muffin tin. Place into the freezer for 15 minutes or until firm. Fill each well with mincemeat, until 3/4 full. Brush the border of a top crust with egg wash, and place it wash side down on the mince pie and press the edges tightly to seal it. Cover the rest of the pies. Brush more egg wash over the tops of the pies, taking care not to let it drip down the sides of the pan. Then sprinkle generously with Demerara sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm with Cognac butter or at room temperature.
Serves 12.