Fruit Mince Pies

These precious little pastries, filled with a medley of fruits and spices, will add a touch of magic to your Christmas table.

They're sold in bakeries and supermarkets at Christmas time – but baking up a batch of homemade Fruit Mince Pies will deliver some extra special Christmas joy.

The Recipe for Fruit Mince Pies

Fruit Mince Pies, also called Mincemeat Pies, were originally filled with actual meat. During the 15th century, King Henry V served such a mincemeat pie at his coronation.

It's thought that the idea for these pies was originally brought back to Britain from the Middle East – where spices and fruit were often used in savoury and sweet meat dishes – during the Crusades of the Middle Ages.

The British version of this recipe has evolved over the centuries, and these days we only include the sweet and fruity stuff in the mincemeat filling.

While the actual meat filling didn't survive the test of time, the association between these pies and Christmas has endured.

During the Middle Ages, eating a mince pie for 12 days from Christmas day was believed to bring happiness for the next 12 months!

During the Tudor period, they pies were shaped like a manger and made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples – symbolising the Christmas story. 

Today, the Christmas symbolism is often in the form of a festive-themed pastry topper.

Timeline for making Mincemeat Pies

If you're planning to bake up a batch of Fruit Mince Pies for Christmas this year, well, you've made a great decision.

It's not a difficult recipe. However, you do need to keep in mind that the fruit mince is usually made in advance to allow the flavours to meld.

TIP: Make your fruit mince at least 2 weeks before you make your pies, if possible. The fruit mince will last up to 4 months in the fridge, so you can even get it ready as early as September!

Another thing to keep in mind is that this recipe makes 18 mini pies. So double, triple or multiply the ingredient quantities as required if you're cooking for a crowd.

One more thing – you can freeze the pies for up to a few months and they last in the fridge for up to a week. You'll find more details about this below, but I'm mentioning it here also as it may be helpful in planning out your Christmas cooking schedule.

Making Fruit Mince

Making the fruit mince is a straightforward process.

Simply place all of the ingredients, except the brandy, into a saucepan.

Heat gently, stirring, to allow the butter to melt and the sugar to dissolve.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to simmer for 3 minutes.

Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir the brandy through the mixture.

Yes, it's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

Pop the warm fruit mince mixture into a sterilised jar and seal.

Allow to cool to room temperature and then store in the fridge until you are ready to make the pies. Remember, ideally, you want to make up the mixture at least 2 weeks in advance of making the pies.

So, let's fast forward now and start making the pastry for our pies.

How to make Pastry for Fruit Mince Pies

If you have a food processor or chopper, you can whip up the pastry in minutes.

Process the flour, icing sugar and butter until the mixture resembles very fine breadcrumbs.

Then add the egg yolk and lemon juice and process until the mixture holds together.

If you don't have access to this equipment, simply rub the butter into the flour and icing mixture with your hands until it resembles very fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and lemon juice and knead the mixture together for a couple of minutes.

Whichever method you use, once the pastry is ready you want to wrap it in food wrap and place in the fridge for half an hour.

How to make Fruit Mince Pies

Once you place your pastry in the fridge to chill, pre-heat your oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius/355 degrees fahrenheit) and grease 18 holes of patty/muffin pans.

Rolling out your pastry

Roll out the pastry between sheets of baking paper until about 3-4mm thick.

Next, cut out 18 x 9cm circles. Gently press each circle into one of the holes.

Adding the fruit mince

Stir the fruit mince mixture and spoon it into the cases (about ⅔ full).

TIP: Don't fill the cases more than ⅔ full with fruit mince. Overfilling may cause the mixture to bubble out of the cases during baking.

Adding pastry tops

Roll out the pastry again and cut out 9 x 6cm circles. Also cut out a small shape from inside each of the circles. Place the circles on half of the pies and cutouts on the other half.

Whisk the egg white and water together and brush over the tops of the pies.

Finally, sprinkle the caster sugar over the tops of the pies.

Bake the pies for 20 minutes.

Enjoying Fruit Mince Pies

Enjoy fruit mince pies warm or cool.

Once cool, you can dust with icing sugar if desired.

Serve just as they are or with custard, cream, creme fraiche or brandy butter.

Recipe FAQs

Q. How long do fruit mince pies last?

They should keep for up to a week in the fridge, though are best served fresh.

Q. Can you freeze fruit mince pies?

Yes. Wrap well and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a few months.

Q. Do you have other traditional Christmas recipes?

I sure do! You might like my recipes for Brandy Snaps, White Christmas, Trifle, Florentine Slice, Christmas Cake, Rum Balls, Pavlova, and Christmas Pudding.