Crumble Mince Pies

A new twist on the classic Mince Pies, these festive pies have a crunchy, oat topping to contrast with the juicy, sweet filling and crisp homemade pastry outer shell.

Well, hello there! Christmas is fast approaching and I’ve been such a bad blogger recently! I have come to the decision that I have to admit defeat on Tuesday’s blog post because when I get home from working Sat-Tues, I’m shattered and just want to sleep. So, I will now be posting recipes on Wednesday and Thursday as those are my days off!

Anyway, let’s talk mince pies. Are you a lover or a hater? I am a FIRM lover! I adore mince pies and can’t wait to crack into my first one come the holidays. I am that person in the supermarket who is picking up every box of mince pies and reading the ingredients though because 1) I can’t have alcohol and 2) I can’t have nuts. SOOOOO many mince pies have one or both of those things, so I’m kind of stuck with a few brands that I can eat.

The solution? Make your own of course! I just have to double check the mincemeat it booze and nut free (a lot easier to find than whole mince pies) and then I make the pastry, so I know what goes into it!

Now, stay with me as I introduce a twist on the classic mince pie: Crumble Mince Pies. You all know by now I am OBSESSED with streusel/crumble toppings so it was natural for me to top a mince pie with crunchy oats for a nice change.

Let me tell you; these are outstanding. My fiancé hates mince pies, but has eaten 5 of these already. The pastry is sweet and crisp, the filling juicy and sweet and then the topping? Sublime.

I actually feel quite proud that I’ve managed to convert him haha!

Let’s talk pastry. I have been making this recipe for years and it’s really easy to work with. Lovely and smooth, comes together well and is easy to roll and cut out. I add sugar, an egg and a tiny splash of water to make this dough and it turns out fabulously every time I make it.

For the crumble topping, I used the same crumble recipe I’ve used since last year and it always results in beautifully crunchy, golden crumbles. I add brown sugar, plenty of oats, a little flour and butter to create my crumbly topping. This reicpe makes a little more topping than you’ll need for the recipe, but I like to bake the leftovers on a lined baking tray and then sprinkle on yoghurt, porridge, anything… sometimes I eat it by the spoon!

I think I may be converted and no longer able to eat “normal” mince pies…!!

Hope you’re having a great week wherever you are! I’d love to know if you’re ready for Christmas or not; let me know in the comments! – I’m just finishing up with my wrapping and then turning my attention to the food!

Crumble Mince Pies

Annie N

A new twist on the classic Mince Pies, these festive pies have a crunchy, oat topping to contrast with the juicy, sweet filling and crisp homemade pastry outer shell.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• For the pastry:
• 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain/all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 tbsp ice cold water
• For the filling:
• 12 tbsp mince meat, I used heaping tbsp - just fill the pies level
• For the topping:
• 1/2 stick (56g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 1tbsp (50g) plain/all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (80g) rolled oats

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and spray a 12 hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Make the pastry: place butter, flour and sugar into a food processor and pulse until the butter is combined with the flour and you have a coarse breadcrumb texture.
• Add in the egg and continue to pulse the mixture until the mixture starts to become bigger lumps.
• Add in the water, 1tbsp at a time, pulsing between each addition for at least 20 seconds, until the mixture comes together into one lump and comes away from the sides of the food processor.
• Alternatively, you can add the butter, flour and sugar to a large bowl and rub the butter between your fingers until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture. Add in the egg, mix with a wooden spoon and then add water 1tbsp at a time, stirring in between each addition until a soft dough forms.
• Flour your worktop and rolling pin and tip the dough out onto the work surface. Roll one way, then turn the dough slightly clockwise. Roll once, turn slightly and repeat until you have a large disc of dough, around 2mm thick.
• Using a 9cm wide round cutter, cut as many circles out from the dough as you can and press them into your prepared muffin tin. The dough should come around 2/3 of the way up the hole in your tin.
• Bring the dough back together and roll again as many times as you need until you have filled the muffin tin. If there's any extra pastry, I roll it out, cut it into sticks and bake it in the oven for 10-12 mins to make dough sticks!
• Place a heaping tablespoon of mincemeat into each pastry case and leave to one side.
• Make the crumble topping: Place butter, sugar, flour and oats into a medium sized bowl and rub together between your fingers until you have pea sized lumps. Some larger lumps are fine; you want a sticky, crumbly mixture where the butter sticks the oats and flour together into lump to make the crumbles.
• Sprinkle each mince pie with your crumbly filling. You can either completely cover the top of the mince pie, or leave some of the mincemeat peeking through like I did.
• With the extra crumbly topping, place on a non stick baking tray and bake until golden and firm to the touch - 10-12 mins in a 200C/400F oven. I keep the crumbles to sprinkle on porridge, yoghurt or to add a few extra to the mince pies.
• Place mince pies in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the filling is bubbling, the pastry cases are very lightly golden and the crumbly topping is an even golden colour.
• Leave to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, before using a sharp knife to run around the edge of each hole (just in case any of the mincemeat has bubbled over and stuck to the sides of the pan) - transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cool, you can either dig straight in or dust the mince pies with icing/powdered sugar.
• Crumble Mince Pies will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature, for a week.

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