Mince pies - any tips for making them?

[ChippyMinton]

Made the mincemeat, but have cheated on the shortcrust.
Best way to make the pies? I have muffin and shallower fairy cake tins, a new set of cutters which are plain and fluted, brown, caster and icing sugar.
🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄

Use fairy cake tins. Fluted cutters give prettier edges. Remember to cut larger circles for the bases of the pies and smaller ones for the tops. When you have filled with mincemeat, dampen the edges of the pastry with water and press gently with a finger all around to seal each pie, and make a little hole in the lid to allow steam to escape during baking. Wait until after the baking before dusting with icing sugar (looks like snow) or some prefer caster.

You can get Christmas paper of foil cake cases which look festive as well, you just put the pastry in those before baking in the cake tins for support.

They are quite easy to do, like jam tarts with lids. I want one!

Make sure you roll the pastry really thinly as it does thicken when you bake it. That way you won't feel that it's all pastry and not much filling.Love girlys idea about the foil cases.Oh and I usually paint the tops with milk and sprinkle with caster sugar before baking but that is a matter of personal taste.[All sweet toothed here I'm afraid!] Good luck and enjoy yourself.

Okay, so whats a fairy cake tin?

I think I may call it something else and Im just being nosey.

Fairy cakes are smaller than muffins, and some cupcakes. If you look at the little paper cases or foil cases near the baking ingredients in the supermarkets you'll get the idea, then look at the baking trays with the depressions in for cakes, mince pies. My foil cases are 6cm diameter at the top and approx 2.5cm deep.

roll out the pastry for the lids first is my best tip, if it is shortcrust or puff

when you have to reroll the last bits the pastry is over worked and as it is the lids everyone sees you want them to look best :D

Use the cutter the same size as the top of the tin, and ONE size up for the base.

Put the caster sugar on as soon as they come out of the oven....it will stick, I find it can burn if you put it on before baking. Then as soon as you have done that lift them out, they can be buggers to shift once they have cooled in the tins

Use the shallower tins, imo you want to be able to cram in a WHOLE mince pie in one go so no one catches you with a half eaten one in your hand and you just cannot do that with big deep muffin style ones.

also paint the underneath edges of the lids with a light egg wash, and then they will stick to the bottom piece of pastry and your mincemeat won't boil out, use the rest of the egg to egg wash the tops.

And poke three holes into each mincepie....my mother did, and so did her mother...apparently it is The LAW.

Thanks Girly, I have those tins and alternate between using them one year and wee bun tins the next because I can never remember what tasted the best.

I put a pastry star on top of the mincemeat instead of a traditional pastry lid. Nice if you don't like too much pastry. Then dust with icing sugar once they are cooled a bit.

I like the star for less pastry too.

Wow, thank you all, and especially Tondeleya, some excellent advice.
I'll have to get up early tomorrow to get them done.

How long do they need in the oven / what temperature?

I just made the mincemeat shortbread slices on the Good Food calendar. Yum! Much nicer than pies and no cutting and fiddlig with kids. Put half the shortbread dough on the bottom of the tin, spread with mincemeat and top with other half of dough. Press round edges to seal. Prick with fork, bake, then sprinkle with caster sugar when it comes out and leave to go cold before cutting into delicious bite sized squares. I have frozen half of it and will probably scoff the rest tonight.

Erm, that should read fiddling with LIDS not kids!

Demented they sound great and just what I need for a camping trip next weekend where Ive to supply a 'naice teatime spread' for about 40 people.

Can I have the recipe please?

When I was pregnant and suffering with hyperemesis I really couldn't face making them. I had made the mincemeat in advance so DH had the idea to use vol-au-vent cases. They worked a great, just the right size and easy enough that even DH could make them. A sprinkling of icing sugar just before serving finished them off nicely.

250g of softened butter
100g golden caster sugar
1 tsb vanilla extract
1 and a bit tsb ground cinnamon
1/2 tsb ground cloves ( I left this out)
250g plain flour
140g ground rice
Big jar of decent mincemeat
Sprinkling of granulated sugar

Heat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4 and line the base and sides of a 20cm square rin with baking parchment. Beat the butter, sugar,vanilla, 1 tsb of cinnamon and the cloves together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Stir in the flour and ground rice first with a spoon then get your hands in and knead to smooth dough. ( takes a wee while but it does come together)
Halve the dough and press one half evenly into base of fun. Spread mincemeat over top ( might not need all the jar) and leave a 1cm border round the edge. Roll out the remaining dough between two sheets of baking parchment and lift on to mincemeat. ( its crumbly so will break if you just try to roll and lift it normally). Seal round the edges with your fingers, gently press all over then prick top all over with fork.
Bake for 25- 30 minutes until golden and then sprinkle remaining cinammons and sugar on top.Leave to cool completely in tin before cutting I to little squares.

Base of tin, not fun! I couldn't get ground rice anywhere so used ground almonds and they taste good to me.

Quickest way I have found is to roll out the pastry and cut it into squares. Put a teaspoon of mince n each square and then a lid on each. Cook on a greased baking tray.

Even quicker just cut the pastry in half and make a giant mince pie. If you are feeling clever you can decorate the top with pastry leaves, ribbons or plaits. Makes a nice centre piece.

Cold hands for making the pastry!