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These 4-ingredient mincemeat hand pies feature shortcrust pastry, jarred mincemeat, egg wash, and a sprinkling of sweet, crunchy Demerara sugar. A simple and festive recipe inspired by traditional British mince pies.
What Inspired These Mincemeat Hand Pies?
With a flaky pastry casing with a boozy, dried fruit filling baked in the middle, mince pies are a staple of British Christmastime. Like trifles and yule logs and Christmas puddings, mince pies are readily available at most UK supermarkets and bakeries throughout the festive period.
This recipe draws inspiration from traditional mince pies, but simplifies the process by using just four ingredients: store-bought shortcrust pastry, jarred mincemeat, egg wash, and Demerara sugar. Baked until deeply golden brown, these adorable handheld treats come together in about an hour, with no special mince pie tin required! And while I’ve decorated mine with pastry stars, you can easily substitute trees, snowflakes, or any other festive shapes you’d like.
Serve these homemade mincemeat hand pies warm or at room temperature, accompanied by brandy butter, whipped cream, or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. As a bonus, the leftovers are easily portable and perfect for on-the-go snacking.
If you want to enjoy a beloved British tradition with minimal effort, these hand pies are for you.
What is Mincemeat?
Mincemeat is a chutney-like filling made from a mixture of dried and fresh fruits, spices, suet, and sugar, plus brandy or other spirits like whisky or rum. Some mincemeat recipes also include blanched almonds or other nuts.
While mincemeat originally included minced meat, the contemporary version does not. (It may or may not be vegetarian, though—many recipes include beef suet for added flavor and moisture, so read the label carefully.) After stirring together ingredients like raisins, sultanas, currants, citrus zest, brown sugar, and candied peel and dousing the mixture in a generous amount of alcohol, mincemeat is aged for weeks or even months to allow the flavors to meld and deepen.
Popular in Britain during the Christmas season, mincemeat is most commonly used in mince pies but can also be added to other baked goods like cakes, tarts, or mince pie cookies. Jars of store-bought mincemeat are widely available in any supermarket, but serious bakers will often make their own mincemeat from scratch.
Ingredients for Making Mince Pie Turnovers
To make this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Shortcrust Pastry – You’ll need two sheets of shortcrust pastry or store-bought pie crust, each about 9 x 12 inches in size. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also make your own pastry from scratch.
- Mincemeat – For an easy shortcut, I developed this recipe with jarred mincemeat. If you’re not in the UK you can find mincemeat on Amazon, in the international aisle at some supermarkets, or at British shops like Myers of Keswick in NYC.
- Egg – A coat of beaten egg gives the pastries their deep golden brown color.
- Demerara Sugar – I’ve sprinkled my hand pies with Demerara sugar for sweetness and crunch. You can substitute Sugar in the Raw, or omit the sugar for less sweetness.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
I recommend baking these hand pies on the day you plan to enjoy them, but leftovers will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for about three days. Eat leftovers cold or at room temperature, or microwave for about 30 seconds.
Leftover mincemeat hand pies can also be layered between sheets of parchment and frozen in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature. Enjoy cold, or gently rewarm in a 350° F / 176° C oven for about 10 minutes.
Other festive British recipes you might enjoy:
Brandy Butter
Miniature Christmas Puddings
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Mincemeat Hand Pies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 3 1/2-inch hand pies 1x
Description
4-ingredient mincemeat hand pies made with shortcrust pastry, jarred mincemeat, and egg wash, plus a sprinkling of crunchy Demerara sugar on top.
Ingredients
2 sheets shortcrust pastry or pie crust, each about 9 x 12 inches in size
225 grams mincemeat (8 ounces; about 1 1/3 cups)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C. Line a half-sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment or a silicone mat.
Unroll the pastry, one sheet at a time, on a silicone rolling mat.
With a 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut the pastry into discs, re-rolling the scraps as necessary. When finished, you should have 16 discs total. (If you still have some pastry remaining, you can cut a few more pieces. You’ll need 2 for each additional pie you want to make.)
Re-roll scraps. With a 2-inch star or other decorative cutter, cut a star for each pastry.
Arrange half of the discs on prepared tray.
Spoon 2-3 heaping teaspoons of mincemeat into the center of each disc, allowing a 1/2-inch border around the edge.
With a pastry brush, brush a thin strip of beaten egg around the outer edge of each disc.
Top with a second disc, then use your fingertips to seal the edges.
Crimp the edges of each pie with a fork.
With a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of egg wash to the tops of the pies
Place one star on top of each pie, pressing down gently to secure it to the pastry. Brush the stars with egg wash.
Sprinkle pies generously with Demerara sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until pastry is deeply golden brown.
With a metal spatula, transfer hand pies to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftover pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Mincemeat hand pies also freeze well.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Turnovers and Hand Pies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
