Mincemeat Tarts

A Christmas classic, mincemeat tarts feature lovely warm flavours from citrus, brown sugar, and brandy, all wrapped up in a buttery pastry crust.

A British Christmas tradition that’s very popular in Canada, too, mincemeat tarts are a mainstay in many households at this time of year. If you have British ancestry, you’re probably familiar with them – and made with from-scratch mincemeat and a basic sweet shortcrust pastry, they’re the perfect holiday treat.

With a filling of sweet, warming mincemeat, made with homemade candied peel, dried fruit, and brandy, it’s just right on a cold winter evening. This version is vegetarian, made with butter instead of suet (or vegan if you’d like).

These are, of course, a bit more time consuming than store bought mincemeat and pastry shells, but it’s very well worth it. Take the time to make your own candied peel, mincemeat, and pie dough – if you think you don’t like mincemeat tarts, 100% homemade might change your mind.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Method
• Tips and Notes
• Substitutions
• Recipe

Ingredients

Method

Make the shortcrust pastry according to instructions and chill before starting on the tarts.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and set out a 12-cup muffin tin, plus a second tin if you have one.

Divide the finished dough in half, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 3-4mm (⅛ inch).

Cut circles of dough slightly larger than your muffin cups in diameter (about 9cm or 3.5 in. is good). Set aside. Using a slightly smaller cutter (7cm or 2 ¾ in.) cut tops for the tarts. You can also cut out small shapes (stars, hearts, etc.).

Place the larger rounds into the muffin cups, pressing gently to make sure they’re touching the bottoms of the cups. Fill each tart about ¾ full with mincemeat (about 2 tablespoon each).

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Top each tart with a smaller round or shape cut from the pastry. If using a full round, dampen the edges of the lid with a touch of water to help it adhere to the base. Use a fork to poke holes in the tops of any full pastry lids that don’t have shapes cut out.

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Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of each tart with egg wash.

Bake the tarts for 20-22 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing and cooling fully. Dust with icing sugar when cooled.

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Tips and Notes

These freeze really well, and can be made well in advance. Just freeze in airtight containers after the tarts have cooled fully and take them out as needed.

The egg wash isn’t mandatory if you’re going with the vegan option, but it adds a nice shiny golden element that’s very festive and pretty. We recommend it.

If you’re covering every tart fully in pastry and not cutting shapes, make sure to poke some holes in the tops with a fork in any case. The steam needs to escape during baking to avoid a soggy bottom – this way you get a nice crisp crust all around.

This makes 15 tarts, so if you have two muffin tins, make use of them.

Substitutions

To make the tarts vegan, use our vegan pie crust and go for the vegan option (using vegan butter) in the mincemeat.

For a GF option, we recommend this gluten-free pie crust.

Add some dark chocolate to the centre of each tart for a bit of a twist – it pairs well with the mincemeat flavours.

More Holiday Bakes

Sugar and Spice Cookies
Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cake
Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies
Sour Cherry Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
Dark Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake

If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.