Go Back
Buttery shortcrust pastry filled with boozy, spiced dried fruit and candied peel!

Fruit Mince Pies

Buttery shortcrust pastry filled with boozy, spiced dried fruit and candied peel!
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Makes: 12 to 14 pies
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the fruit mince

  • 100 gms candied orange peel
  • 100 gms candied lemon peel
  • 100 gms glace cherries
  • 100 gms dried cranberries
  • 100 gms raisins
  • 1/3 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/3 cup dark rum or whiskey (80 ml)

For the shortcrust pastry

  • 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (330 gms)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 225 gms cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar (90 gms)
  • 1 tbsp cream + 1 tsp water, to finish

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a sharp blade, place the peel, cherries, cranberries and raisins. Blitz till you have small pieces of each ingredient and the mixture starts to ball up. Don't let it become a paste, a little chunky is better.
  • Tip this mixture into a sturdy saucepan or pot and add the cinnamon and whiskey. Stir constantly on low heat till the liquid evaporates and the mince starts to look a little jammy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Set aside to cool completely at room temperature. I recommend transferring the mince to an airtight tin and chilling it overnight, for a deeper flavour. Also remember that a warm mince will melt your pastry!
  • To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, then add the cold cubed butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and there is no dry flour. Stir in the sugar and use your hands to bring the dough together into a rough mass. It will take a couple of minutes since there's no liquid here so the dough will be a little dry and crumbly but the warmth of your hands will help.
  • If the butter in the dough has softened or the dough feels warm, wrap it up in clingfilm and chill for 15 minutes (see notes for longer chill times).
  • Lightly grease 12 muffin moulds. Bring the mince out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature.
  • Now set aside about 1/4th of the dough to make the 'lids' later on. Break off bits of the remaining dough, slightly larger than walnuts. Press each bit into the muffin moulds, using your fingertips to spread it over the base and up the sides, using a little more dough if needed. Repeat till all the moulds are done.
  • Now add two tablespoons of the mince into each muffin mould, spreading it out evenly and packing it down well. Repeat with the other moulds. If you have leftover dough, add it to the reserved portion from step 7.
  • Finally, break off small bits of the reserved dough (about a tablespoon sized portion) and flatten between your palms to create the lids. Place them over the mince and spread and ease them to the edges. It's ok if they're a bit rustic, they're more to protect the mince from burning than anything else.
  • Combine the cream and water and brush over the top of the pies. Place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180 C.
  • Bake the pies for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on top and slightly puffed. If needed, bake an additional 5 minutes. The sides of the pies won't brown as much since they're in muffin tins.
  • Let the pies cool in the moulds for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the sides to gently lift them out. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, and in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. Happy baking!

Notes

*Feel free to switch up the quantities of the different mince ingredients, as long as you have a total of about 500 gms of mince.
*While you can make the pastry the same day as the mince and chill it overnight as well, I did find the pastry gets so firm that it can be difficult to mould into the muffin tins. However, if you do want to go this way, just leave the pastry out at room temperature for 20 minutes before proceeding.
*Ingredients for the mince are usually available at most dry fruit stores and also online.
*Prep time does not include chilling time for the mince and dough
*Pastry adapted from this BBC Good Food recipe