Holiday Baking| Christmas Fruit Mince Pies …
“Marge, it’s 3 AM. Shouldn’t you be baking?”
Homer Simpson
Did you make your own fruit mincemeat this year? I just about did, and far too late in the month IMHO. I procrastinated forever; then noticed it was the 18th of December and hit the panic button. It was now or never since it needs a few days to soak the fruit. I eventually got it done, also getting distracted along the way … and suddenly, it was time for a batch of Christmas Fruit Mince Pies!
Day 3 yesterday and the soaked fruit was looking plump, good and shiny. I should have waited to turn the whole batch into my Garam Masala Christmas Cake, but I couldn’t resist making some little mince pies! {I write this post as my fruit cakes finally bake in the oven!}
My sister sent me a load of baking goodies with the BIL who flew in from the US, much like Santa who got here before time. Petit tins of all sizes, something that I love, vanilla beans, sprinkles, a dessert cookie baking tray, a Lindzer cookie cutter, a ‘sack‘ of baking chocolate chips … loads more!
Despite telling her that I hardly bake ‘fancy‘ {read tedious} cookies any more, I pulled out the Lindzer set to make a batch of Toasted Walnut Linzer Cookies with Strawberry Filling. Typically, my mind wandered in the opposite direction, and I whizzed some pâte sucrée in the Thermomix. Soon the dough was being rolled and the Lindzer cookie cutters were being used to make toppings for petit fruitmince pies!
Its dangerous to have a big bowl of fruit soaking on the counter. Hungry mouths on the prowl get attracted to it, so I hid it … but couldn’t get it it out of my head! Yesterday I figured I could nick some for a before Christmas cake treat. These little pies are fun to make; quick too. I love using the snowflake cutters sweet Nic @ Cherrapeno gave me … so festive!
Use your favourite pâte sucrée / sweet pastry dough or use the one below. This works a classic 2:1 ratio of flour and butter. As with pie/pastry dough, keep handling/kneading to an absolute minimum. That way you’ll have a nice light, crisp pastry once baked. If you like, you can add some apple to the filling, like Alli did in her Christmas Chocolate & Fruit Mince Pies. Nice!!
Christmas Fruit Mince Pies
Ingredients
1 portion Pâte Sucrée {recipe follows}
1/2 to 3/4 cup fruit mincemeat {recipe follows}
- 1/2 egg white {or yolk for egg wash}
- Vanilla sugar for sprinkling
Pâte Sucrée / Sweet Pastry
- 200gm all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 100gm chilled butter, cubed
- 1 egg, lightly whisked with fork
- 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2tbsp chilled water {to bind if required}
Mincemeat or fruit mix, sans suet {you will need about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of this}
- 700gms raisins, chopped if desired
- 200 currants
- 100gms orange peel, chopped
- 170gms almonds, chopped
- 250gms cashewnuts, chopped
- 100gms candied cherries, chopped
- 1/4 cup Cherry liquor/brandy
- 1/2 cup rum {or brandy}
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice {from 3 keenus/oranges}
- Juice of 3-4 limes
- Zest of 2 keenus/oranges
- 4 tbsp garam masala
Instructions
Pâte Sucrée / Sweet Pastry
- Place the flour, salt, scraped vanilla beans and sugar in bowl of processor and blend briefly. {Thermomix: Speed 6, 5 seconds}
- Add chilled butter and process until you get a breadcrumb like mix. {Thermomix: Speed 8, 6-7 seconds}
- With the machine running, add the egg and process till it the dough begins to come together. {Thermomix: Speed 8, 7-8 seconds}
- If you pinch the dough with your fingertips it should stick together. If not add a tbsp of chilled water and process.
- Turn dough onto work surface and pat together into a firm ball. Do not knead / overprocess. Let it rest 10-20 minutes {I left it on the counter as its very cold here. If the temperature is warm, rest the dough in the fridge}.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- On a very lightly floured surface, take a quarter of the dough and roll it out thin. Cut out 12 circles with a fluted cookie cutter and place in tart tray. Repeat with next portion of dough.
- Fill each base with a heaped tsp of mincemeat.
- Now cut out 24 'toppers' from the remaining dough {or a combination of fluted cut-out tops, stars, snowflakes etc} and place over fruit, pressing down slightly.
- Brush the tops with a beaten egg white {or egg yolk}, sprinkle with vanilla sugar and bake for 15-18 minutes until light golden brown.
- Leave in tray for 1-2 minutes, remove to rack and cool.
Mincemeat / fruitmince or fruit mix, sans suet
- Mix all the ingredients nicely and soak overnight in a cool place, or for 3-4 days. The longer you soak the fruit, the more mature the flavour. I soaked mine for 3 days. {You can substitute the alcohol with an equal amount of orange juice too}
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
21 Comments
Rosa
Mince pies are marvelous and yous look terrific! A great Xmas treat.
Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Rosa
Lora
Those pies are beautiful and adorable at the same time! I loe the snowflake pattern
Priya
Cute looks gorgeous mini tarts..lovely.
John Robbins
Tried this recipie myself – taking a few days off – brilliant I love them and they taste a lot better than they look – fantastic Christmas treat for me and back to the Gymn in January!!
Poornima
Santa was so generous to you!! The mince pies look awesome, Merry Christmas Deeba!
Nisha
Wow, so many lovely patterns & so many ideas for it! The pies look great.
And great collection of bakeware! *thinking when will I own so many* 🙂
Helene
I love your gifts and can’t wait to see what you are going to bake in 2012. These pies are beautiful. Merry Christmas!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
Look at all those baking supplies! I love those little pies and the beautiful decorations on top of each.
Suma
Extremely festive and tempting looking pies, the snowflake cut -outs look the festive-est!! I procrastinated and procrastinated, finally made a fruit cake which was not meant to be – power cut when the cake was baking 🙁
Whoa!! Look at all those baking goodies, and bang in the season of baking, have fun!!
Miri
I soaked two batches this year becsuse I have family viisiting this year as well as friends for new Year – the mincemeat soaking is irresisitible! Made my Christmas Cake and some yumm Biscotti yesterday and will make another one next week for New Year’s Eve.
Your pastry looks perfect!
Gayatri
What lovely mince pies! Reminds me so much of Christmas in England. I was craving M&S mince pies when I thought, lets just satiate the apetite with photographs of lovely minces!
And here you are 🙂
Not possible to buy some off you, is it, eh? 😀
Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make do with Gluhwein.
Happy Christmas!
—————————
Gayatri Kumar
Look who’s Wearing (LwW)
Sanjeeta kk
A true Santa she is, Deeba! And am sure you can’t get more richer than this what with the wonderful treasure of these tiny baking gadgets.
Love the star shaped crust and everything about these pies..perfect for any festive gift.
Anita Menon
These are so cute. I love those tops covering the mince. Merry Christmas!!!
a spoonful of yumm
happy holidays indeed ….i love the star & snowflake shapes…too cute 😀 every post of yours makes me drool 😉 merry christmas deeba !
Love & other Spices
Lucky you,Deeba! look at all those baking supplies! The pies are so cute and love the snow flaked top..absolutely gorgeous!
Sukanya
These fruit mince pies are looking heavenly and the snow flakes one are so eye catchy. absolutely divine..
jehanne@thecookingdoctor
ooh, just love those mince pies..I could gobble a dozen of them in a sitting! you know what, you’ve inspired me to get a Thermomix now, seeing that things get done in secs, just what I need! Merry Jolly Xmas, Deeba and family, hope a fab new year is ahead for you:-)
shaz
Happy holidays Deeba! What a lot of baking goodies, lucky you 🙂 And the mince pies look gorgeous. Didn’t get around to baking any this year so I’ll just enjoy looking at yours.
chinmayie @ love food eat
WOW! Terrific pies! They looks picture perfect 🙂
Rituparna
Look at those beauties. When I say that picture of baked goodies I actually thought it’s Christmas & new year & your doing a giveaway.
Lucky you, Sisters & chocolates make life fulfilling ….
Kelley
I have to say that your pies are gorgeous! I wish I had your talent. Nothing says the holidays like mince meat pie!