What’s wrong with my minced pies?

[ViaRia01]

Hello Christmas bakers
i attempt minced pies every year but they never turn out looking right.
(it’s shop bought pastry and shop bought mincemeat so they taste ok)

The lids never stick properly to the pastry bases. They also shrink a bit in diameter and rise more that I would expect them to.

its shortcrust pastry.

kitchen is cold and worktops granite, the tray is cold when it goes in the oven and the oven is pre heated.

many pointers for batch # 2?

In the first photo pastry defo too thick. I must admit whilst I make my own mincemeat I don't make traditional mince pies - I buy them. I either make this recipe adjusted for a rectangular baking tin and sliced into squares (I don't add the icing topping and sometimes use flour and a bit of extra almond essence if I run out of ground almonds):

www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-3968564/amp/A-Mary-Christmas-two-Mincemeat-almond-tart.html

Or I buy filo and make mince pie cigars like this:

www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a535682/filo-cigars-recipe/

Of course you know the advantage of all these great ideas is that you have plenty to try out and - importantly - taste test 😁. My idea of Christmas heaven!

@ViaRia01 my family actually prefers mince pies with no lid - just icing sugar sprinkled over like snow. My Mum used to do this too, and I loved them as a child. We use a fluted cutter, and shortcrust pastry.
I’m sure your family will love them all, please don’t ever let others’ attitudes/opinions make you feel less than.

So batch # 3 came out ooojing the best to think. Despite somehow being a little too golden on top, at least they stayed together and I think a bigger ‘cross shape on top’ helped with preventing them from bursting open.

anyway, I’ve also made sausage rolls and they’re looking very tasty indeed.

@LadyGwendoline lidless and snow-stopped sounds like a good idea.

every year I think I should just stick a star shape on top and then I remember I still haven’t got a star shaped cutter 😀

Or even better, egg yolk.

Your 1st batch look like mine op. My 10yr old asked to use the star cuter and gets came out perfect!

I also made some frangipane as a topping and they were lush!!!

I used shop bought pastry but home made mince meat

Pastry needs to be a bit thinner and cut the tops to fit, not overlap. You need to brush the edges of the tops with egg or milk just to dampen them and crimp the edges so they’re sealed, then poke a steam hole in each one. Don’t overfill the bases - a standard 12 hole bun tin needs no more than a couple of teaspoons of filling otherwise it will boil over and split the pastry.