Freeze-Ahead Mince Pies

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Last year, I started a new holiday tradition by making my first Christmas pudding on Stir-Up Sunday. This special day always falls on the last Sunday before Advent (November 24 this year)  and it heralds the start of the season. It’s a fun time to spend cooking with loved ones and it gives you a great chance to get ahead on your holiday baking. Besides Christmas pudding, mincemeat, and Christmas cake are typically prepared, with much anticipation for the holidays.  

 Get a jump start on your holiday baking with these Freeze-Ahead Mince Pies. Very easy to make, they’re a perfect seasonal treat to keep in the freezer during the holidays. Each little pie is a crumbly, buttery pastry filled with festively spiced mincemeat. Or, give the mincemeat on its own as a gift, if you know someone who loves it. I made my crust and mincemeat a day ahead, so that I could just roll and bake the following day. And I went ahead and baked my pies and safely stowed them in the freezer, so that they could just be warmed and enjoyed. 

The ingredients for this recipe are listed in grams, because this recipe came from a UK publication. If you have a baking scale, use it here. Weights are more accurate than measurements, and it really does make a difference when baking. The recipe calls for mixed spice, a British blend of sweet spices, similar to the pumpkin pie spice we use here. I think it smells a little more like Christmas, so I ended up using the batch I made last year all through the holidays. 

Sultanas are dried white grapes, or golden raisins. I used a mix of half golden and half regular raisins and used some of the less sugar dried cranberry that I had on hand for making my cranberry sauce. Use a large Granny Smith apple, our closest variety to the UK’s Bramley. And for the Cointreau, go ahead and swap in the much less expensive Triple Sec if you happen to have that on hand. 

You can use the mincemeat as soon as it’s cool, but it does get better over time. Because of the high sugar content, enhanced by fat and alcohol, mincemeat can be stored at a cool ambient temperature for many months. I am not so keen on storing food at room temperature, even though many sources, including the UK’s expert, Mary Berry, say it will keep well for 6 months in a cool, dry place. I baked mine into pies and refrigerated the rest. 

The pastry was a cinch to make and very easy to work with. It rolled and cut beautifully, so if you have pie anxiety, like yours truly, you can put your fears aside. I used a standard muffin tin, which worked just fine. But because it was a little larger than a bun tin, I was afraid I would run out of dough, so I only cut 10 circles in order to be sure that I would have enough left over for the stars. Do be sure not to roll your dough too thin. The filling is pretty hefty and you want to be sure that your crust will support it.  I had a few that crumbled where the dough was a little thinner.

Stir up something for the holidays and get ahead this Stir-Up Sunday. 

Easy Mincemeat

• 100g (7 Tablespoons) unsalted butter or vegetarian suet  
• 400g mix (1 1/2 cups) sultanas and raisins  
• 100g (1 cup) dried cranberries 
• 200g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice (recipe follows) 
• 1 large Bramley apple, about 175g, coarsely grated (discard core) 
• 50ml (3 1/3 Tablespoons) Cointreau (or Triple Sec) 

Mix all ingredients, except Cointreau, in a large pan. Heat gently until the butter or suet has melted, then simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit has plumped and soaked up most of liquid. 

Remove pan from heat and stir in Cointreau. Spoon into warm sterilized jars; lay discs of baking parchment directly onto the mincemeat, then secure lids tightly. Leave to cool completely, then store in a cool place for up to 6 months. Once open, store in fridge and use within a week. 

Mixed Spice

• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all spices in an airtight glass jar. 

Freeze-Ahead Mince Pies

for the pastry

• 175g (3/4 cup) plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 75g (3/4 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar, plus extra to dust
• 125g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 medium egg, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the filling 

• 400g Easy Mincemeat, or store bought 

Combine the flour, icing sugar, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rub butter into the mixture using your fingertips. Add egg yolk (reserve the white for glazing), vanilla and 3/4 tablespoon ice water; pulse/mix until pastry just comes together (add a drop more water if pastry looks dry). Tip onto a work surface, bring together into a disc, wrap and chill for 1 hour. 

Lightly flour work surface and roll out pastry to 3 millimeters thick. Cut out 12 rounds using a plain or fluted 8 centimeter (3 1/2-inch) cutter (re-rolling trimmings as needed and reserving any remaining pastry). Use rounds to line a 12-hole bun (or muffin) tin, dividing the mincemeat between the cups. Re-roll pastry trimmings and stamp out 12 x  6 centimeter (2 1/4-inch) stars or 6.5 centimeter (2 1/2-inch) circles to lay on top of each pie. Brush a little reserved egg white over pastry tops to glaze. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up. 

Preheat oven to 375º F. Bake pies for 20 minutes, or until nicely golden. Leave to cool in tin for 5 – 10 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges of each cup to loosen. When pies are firm enough to remove, carefully transfer to wire rack to fully cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar. 

Freeze ahead:  Open-freeze unbaked pies until firm. Keep in tin, or pack into a freezer-safe container, layering between sheets of baking parchment. To bake, return frozen pies to tin if removed, baking for a little longer if needed.  

-Good Housekeeping Christmas Collection UK edition