Christmas isn’t Christmas without homemade mince pies. Flaky buttery sweet pastry encasing rich mincemeat full to the brim with rich decadent fruits and that lovely sticky sauce. If you’re lucky it will also have a little alcohol, brandy, for example, mixed in as well.
My Grandmother was a tremendous sweet pastry cook. He pastry was to die for. A quite simple yet gorgeous tasting rough puff pastry recipe. A recipe I use from her handwritten recipe book dating back to the 1930s.
In our house from about now there at least 1 batch (24) mince pies cooked every week. Just like my Gran, I get lots of visitors this time of year popping in for a cup of tea and a mince pie. Evening guests are treated to whiskey flavoured mince pies and a glass of Baileys.
It really means Christmas to us!
I love mince pies. To me, Christmas is not Christmas without the smell of homemade mince pies baking in the oven. My Grandmother was a fabulous sweet pastry cook and taught me from a young age to make these pies.
You will need:
- 225g/8oz plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 50g/2oz lard
- 50g/2oz butter
- Approx 2 tablespoons of cold water
- 2oz caster sugar
Mix flour and salt together. Rub in the lard and butter.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead.
Roll out the party to approx 5mm thick and cut out equal numbers of mince pie tops and bottoms. The bottoms should be larger than the tops.
Grease and flour your cake tray to avoid pies sticking and place the pie bottoms in.
Add some good quality mincemeat and a little slug of brandy, mixing well if you like.
Using your finger put a little milk around the edge of the pastry and add the top lid, pressing down the edges. Next, brush milk over the lid and sprinkle some caster sugar over the top.
Bake in the oven at 180 until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to cool further. If you would like them served warm let them cool for around 15 minutes.
Now sit back, relax and enjoy!
Don’t Want To Miss A Thing?
Follow me on social media at Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or why not subscribe in the side bar to my blog and get delicious, stress free recipes straight to your inbox every month
Ahh! Homemade mince pies are just the best…..
I make some every year. They don’t last long x
Kim Carberry recently posted…More Christmas crafts from Baker Ross…
Mine don’t last long either!
Ooh, I’m coming to your house! 😉 I used to make mince pies with my Nan when I was a child, but have never got round to making them as an adult. Sweet festive memories! I might try your recipe if I find the time…
Yummy!! I can’t wait to try them! Look so delicious <3
Melanie Smith recently posted…Grapefruit Salad with Wine Vinaigrette + How to Pair it with Wine
Yum, yum and more yum! These are going to go perfectly with what I have planned for Christmas lunch!
I have never had a mince pie. Now I know how to make them and they sound good.
I have never heard of mince pies but they seem like they would be good! Is there a substitute for lard? We don’t eat pork so I was just wondering if there is a comparable alternative.
You can use butter
This is probably one of my favorite desserts! I highly recommend them to everyone out there
YUM! I love mince pies and there’s nothing like homemade. I have to try this because you make it seem so easy.
What a lovely pastry to serve during the Holidays! I love that they’re not so difficult to make and that they come in small serving sizes, perfect for kids as well!
I love mince pies especially when they are dunked in nice hot custard. I would like to try and make my own one day as well!
Ana De- Jesus recently posted…Thank You Readers
Ooo I’d certainly give these a try. They look tasty.
Amber Myers recently posted…Hey, It’s Okay!
I have never tried these but they look delicious. Will definitely have to give them a go and see what the family thinks. Thank you for sharing.
I love this homemade mince pies. Looks so yummy. I will try this at home. Thanks for sharing this.
These look great. I have never actually made these before. They look so great too! I’ll have to give them a try.
I have never made a mince pie before. This looks so delicious that I need to give it a try,
I never tried mince pie before but I’d definitely want to try now after reading this post. They looks so good!
I have never had mince pies. The way you describe them, however, they sound amazing!
Kecia recently posted…PicMonkey Editor Tutorial: How to Create Pin-worthy Images
My oldest son’s mother in law served these with the Thanskgiving apeptizers. Everyone loved them!
I have never had mincemeat pie before, but every once and a while, my Dad requests it for the holidays. I like that this recipe is for mini-pies – I LOVE mini-pies.
Yona Williams recently posted…Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner is Awesome for Curly Hair
I would really love to try these! They look so delicious and I have never tried mince meat!
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had mince pie’s. These look delicious and I need to try them this holiday season.
Katy {ashadeofteal} recently posted…Comment on Holiday Gift Guide: Top 10 Gifts for your Host! by Yona Williams
Omg these pies look so yummy!!! I must give your recipe a try!
Omg that looks define i havent had this for so long! Now im salivating this is indeed a must for Christine or holidays
These homeade mince pies look absolutely delicious even though I can not eat them.
Anosa recently posted…Five Things Week 7
It looks so good for deserts. I will add the recipe on my list and make this one! Homemade is better than the others made.
These look really yummy. I don’t know if I have ever had a mince meat pie- I need to try making them.
Ooh I do love a good mince pie and yours do look rather fabulous! Isn’t it lovely to make a recipe that has been handed down through the generations? Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com recently posted…Leftover Ham, Squash and Puy Lentil Salad
Aw Candace, it must be lovely to have your Grandmother’s old recipe book to hand, my Grandma was an amazing baker too but she never seemed to write down her recipes so now all we can do is remember how good they were and if we’re lucky we’ll stumble occassionally across a recipe which is almost how Grandma made something. I love mincepies too, they’re a must in our houese too. These look absolutely great. I love that you’ve popped some lard into your pastry – it’s just how I used to make it when I was at school, but being vegetarian now I tend to just use butter (or occassinally trex though that has its own issues).
Angela x
Old fashioned ways are sometimes the best. Sorry you don’t have your Grandmas recipes written down, my Grandmothers recipe book is something I really treasure
You know I can eat your mince pies quicker than you can make them! Really missed not having some this year. You’re going to have to make me some when I come back at Easter