How to Make
Mulled Wine Mince Pies
Time
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Difficulty
Medium
Serves
12
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1.
Start By Making The Mulled Wine Mincemeat Filling: In a large saucepan, combine the dried fruit, sugar, water, Whittard Mulled Wine Instant Tea, orange zest and juice, and cinnamon. Add a generous splash of red wine, if using.
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2.
Gently simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the fruit has plumped up and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
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3.
Stir through the butter until melted, then leave to cool completely. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
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4.
Once cooled, spoon into clean, sealed jars.
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5.
Now Make The Sweet Shortcrust Pastry: Add the flour and cold, cubed butter to a mixing bowl. Rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
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6.
Stir through the sifted icing sugar and salt, then add the beaten egg and mix with your hands until the dough starts to clump together.
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7.
Gently knead a couple of times until you have a smooth dough. If it feels too crumbly to come together, add cold water a teaspoon at a time. Try not to overwork it.
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8.
Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. You can keep it refrigerated for up to 2 days – perfect if you need to prep ahead!
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9.
Assemble and Bake the Mince Pies: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Lightly grease a 12-hole cupcake tin with softened butter.
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10.
Lightly flour your work surface and roll the chilled pastry to around 3mm thick. If it feels too firm, leave it at room temperature for 10–15 minutes first.
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11.
Use a round, fluted cutter (slightly larger than the holes in your mince pie tin) to stamp out circles. You’ll need to reroll the pastry scraps to stamp out 12 in total. Also use the scraps to cut out smaller festive stars to place on top.
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12.
Gently press the pastry circles into the tin, making sure they sit snugly in each hole. Spoon the mincemeat filling into each case, filling each about three-quarters full.
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13.
Place a star on top of each pie. Lightly brush the pastry edges and stars with beaten egg, then sprinkle with granulated or demerara sugar.
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14.
Bake for 18–20 minutes, until the pastry is golden, crisp and pulling away from the tin. The mincemeat filling should look juicy and bubbling.
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15.
Leave the mince pies in the tin for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. Once cooled slightly, dust with icing sugar and enjoy!
