In the ultimate battle of mince pies, discover why mince pie parcels are emerging as the new favourite. This recipe is great fun for the family to make at Christmas time. From preventing soggy bottoms to achieving a beautiful golden colour, I’ll share all the secrets to ensure your mince pie pop tarts turn out flawlessly. Impress your guests with your pastry prowess this holiday season!
Get creative in the kitchen this holiday season with our fun and festive ideas for mince pie parcels. From decorative pastry designs to unique flavour combinations, we’ll inspire you to take your mince pie game to the next level. Impress your loved ones with these show-stopping treats!
Why you’ll love this Mince Pie Parcels recipe
At this time of year, I love easy tasty breakfast treats and these mince pie pop tarts are the perfect Christmas breakfast. Freeze them after baking and then just heat them in the air fryer for a few minutes and boom! Festive Brekkie.
Mince pie parcels are warm and taste wonderfully festive, they go perfectly with double cream or ice cream too!
You can make mince pie parcels as gifts too. Pop them in a beautiful wintery box and wrap a big red ribbon around it. Everyone I’ve given these mince pie pop tarts too have adored them!
Ingredients
For the full recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.
Mince Meat
A weird but wonderful Christmas delicacy mince meat is a mix of fruits and spices and sometimes suet, a fatty animal product that may or may not be in your mince meat. Keep your eyes on the ingredients if you’re hoping to keep these vegetarian.
Puff Pastry
Pre-rolled, pre-made or homemade puff pastry, all will work for this simple mince pie recipe. When I want to whip these up quickly I use pre-made, pre-rolled pastry but when giving these as gifts I like to take the time to make the pastry from scratch.
Milk/ Egg
You’ll need a little milk or a beaten egg to brush over the top of your pastry to help it brown and puff up in the oven. You can also use the milk/ egg to help seal the mince pie parcels together.
How to Make Mince Pie Parcels – Step by Step
For the full recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.
Keep scrolling to find the full printable instructions and ingredient quantities.
Start by rolling out your puff pastry and cutting it into rectangles. Lay them straight onto a baking sheet to make things easier for later.
Spoon the mincemeat onto the middle of half your pastry squares. Making sure not to overfill otherwise it will burst out the sides.
With the other half of your pastry squares cut a little star out the top.
Lay the pastry lid on top of your bottom piece and crimp the edges to seal them.
Wash with egg or milk and bake until the pastry is golden brown.
Serve your pastry parcels while they’re still warm.
Mince Pie Parcels Top Tips
Use a milk or egg wash to help the pastry brown beautifully. Your mince pie parcels will look so much more appetizing.
Cut different Christmas shapes into the lids of your mince pie pop tarts. I’ve used a star cutter in this recipe but I’ve made hearts, little reindeer or mini gingerbread men too.
If you’re in a rush, use pre-made pastry to speed up the prep time. You then simply need to fill your parcels with mince meat and bake.
Serving Suggestions
My biggest tip for serving these parcels is to serve them warm, either straight from the oven or reheated in the microwave or air fryer. The pastry is crisp and flaky and the mincemeat is warm and slightly caramelised.
You can then pour over some thick double cream or a few scoops of vanilla ice cream.
I have also served up the mince pie pop tarts as a dessert with cream and dried fruits scattered across the top.
A simple sprinkle of brown or icing sugar also works well if you’re looking for something more low-key.
Equipment
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Substitutions and variations
Use vegetarian mince meat to ensure these easy mince pie parcels can be enjoyed by all who walk through your door. If you want to make these vegan just be sure to make or pick up some vegan pastry.
Pop some mulled win jam between your pastry sheets instead of mincemeat for a festive twist on this classic parcel treat.
Storing Mince Pie Parcels / Making ahead of time options
Mince pie parcels can be baked and stored in a cool dry cupboard and in a tin or a plastic container with some kitchen roll is perfect if you’re only storing these mince pie parcels for about a week.
If you want to keep them longer or make them ahead of time you can pop your pies into the freezer for up to a month then just reheat them in the air fryer for a few minutes or let them defrost and pop them in the microwave for a minute or so.
Mince Pie Parcels FAQS
- What pastry is mince pies made from?
- Can you buy shortcrust pastry?
- Do you need to Prebake shortcrust pastry?
- Do you use plain or self raising flour for shortcrust pastry?
- What can you serve with a Mince Pie parcel?
What pastry is mince pies made from?
You can make mince pies with puff or shortcrust pastry. I’m a fan of puff pastry because I love that golden flakey pastry. But anything you have in the fridge will work.
Can you buy shortcrust pastry?
Yes, you can easily buy shortcrust pastry from the supermarket. Any brand will do or even the supermarket’s own brand is perfect for making pies and treats.
Do you need to Prebake shortcrust pastry?
No, you don’t need to prebake shortcrust pastry. The only time you need to pre bake your bastry is if you’re adding lots of damp filling into your pie.
Do you use plain or self raising flour for shortcrust pastry?
You should use plain flour for your shortcrust pastry, you can use self raising flour but it will not be a true shortcrust if you do this.
What can you serve with a Mince Pie parcel?
You can serve lots of things with mince pie parcels like cream, ice cream or whipped cream. Something sweet and cold is wonderful with the warm mince pie parcels.
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Recipe
Mince Pie Parcels
Ingredients
- 320 g shortcrust pastry (approximately 1 sheet)
- 1 egg
- 400 g mincemeat
Cinnamon Sugar Topping (optional)
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Remove the shortcrust pastry 30 minutes before you are ready to start so it can warm and soften. It will make it a lot easier to cut and work with.320 g shortcrust pastry
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 180ºC fan/gas 6 /428ºF.
- Slice the shortcrust pastry sheet into 8 equal pieces.
- Spoon the mincemeat onto 4 pieces, leaving a border of about a finger's width around the outside.400 g mincemeat
- Using Christmas cutters or carefully using a knife cut out shapes onto the pieces without the mincemeat. These will be the top of the hand pies.
- Gently place the top of the pies on top of the mincemeat. Using a fork or crimper, crimp the edges of the shortcrust pastry to stick the pieces together.
- Brush the pies with the beaten egg and bake for 15/18 minutes until golden brown.1 egg
Cooking the mince pie parcels in the air fryer
- Bake in the air fryer for 12-15 minutes at 180ºC /428ºF.
Notes
- Best served straight from the oven when still warm. However cold is also very tasty.
- Add cinnamon sugar for a lovely winter spice addition.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Wow, these mince pie parcels were absolutely delightful! The combination of flavors were amazing.