A twist on the classic mince pie recipe, these Chocolate Mince Pies feature a delicious sweet chocolate shortcrust pastry filled with mincemeat and topped with a star-shaped shortcrust, then baked in the oven to get a lovely crisp base with a sweet and chistmassy filling. It's such a decadent treat that is so easy to make with a few simple ingredients, and it's sure to go down well with the whole family.
Mince pies are the most popular bakes at Christmas in the UK, with most shops already stacking their shelves with pies as early as September. They are overly sweet and indulgent, with a buttery shortcrust pastry and a mincemeat filling that are simply hard to resist.
And while making them at home from scratch is totally doable, I am sure you will agree with me that there is hardly any need when there is so much in offer when it comes to mince pies.
But these chocolate mince pies are worth your time, they are incredibly delicious, and not something that the shops have much of. I love experimenting with classic desserts and putting a chocolate spin on them.
My chocolate gingerbread men cookies and chocolate shortbread cookies have gone down a treat in my family, and are as delicious as the classic cookie recipes. Chocolate can only make things better, right?
Add these fantastic chocolate mince pies to your list of homemade Christmas treats, and everyone will absolutely love them!
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients used
- flour - I used plain flour, which works best for shortcrust pastry, there is no need to add any rising agent, as we need the crust to be as short as possible
- sugar - the mincemeat is very sweet as it is, so there is no need to add lots of sugar in the shortcrust pastry as well, otherwise you end up with an overly sweet dessert
- butter - either salted or unsalted, whatever you have around, although my recommendation for shortcrust pastry is salted butter
- egg - it's the binding agent, and while many recipes will call for egg yolk only in pastry, I find that the whole egg works a lot better for the pastry I want
- cocoa powder - the better quality, the better results
- milk - full-fat milk is possible, it helps bind the pastry better
- mincemeat - ready-made one is absolutely fine
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- to make the chocolate shortcrust pastry, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the cold butter cut into cubes, and use your fingertips to rub them together until you get a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs
- add the sugar and mix well to combine
- sift in the cocoa powder and mix again
- add the beaten egg and milk, and use your hands to knead everything well into a dough that is elastic and does not stick to the hands
- use a rolling pin to roll the dough, then use a 10-cm round cookie cutter to cut out 12 rounds
- arrange the dough discs into each cavity of the muffin tin, then fill with mincemeat
- from the remaining dough, cut out stars that can be fit on top of each pie
- bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes
- remove the pies from the oven, and leave them to cool down for 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges of the pies to remove them from the muffin tin
- leave the pies to cool down completely before dusting with icing sugar
Expert tips
Do not remove the mince pies from the muffin tin straight away once they come out of the oven. Not only the mincemeat filling is extremly hot and can burn your skin, but at that stage, the base is still quite soft and the pies won't hold their shape well.
Allow them to cool down in the tin for at least 15 minutes, and if they are not easy to remove from the tin, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pies, they should pop out nicely.
Let the pies cool down completely, the chocolate shortcrust pastry will firm up nicely and have a nice crunch to it, and the filling will be nicely set. Dusting with icing sugar is optional, but it does add a good touch to the pies.
I did not refrigerate the dough before baking the pies, there is no need for this recipe, however, if you think the dough is on the softer side, you can chill it for 20 minutes in the fridge before rolling it out.
Other mincemeat desserts
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Chocolate Mince Pies
Ingredients
- 220 g plain flour
- 125 g butter
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 jar mincemeat ( 400 g, 12 oz)
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar ( to dust over the pies, optional)
Instructions
- To make the chocolate shortcrust pastry, sift the flour in a large mixing bowl, add the cold butter cut into cubes, and use your fingertips to rub them together until you get a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar, and mix to combine them.
- Sift in the cocoa powder, and mix again.
- Beat the egg well, then add it to the bowl together with the milk.
- Use your hands to knead the mixture into a dough that is elastic and does not stick to the hands.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Transfer the dough to the work surface, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough, then use a 10 cm round cookie cutter to cut out 12 rounds, reworking the dough as needed.
- Arrange the rounds into each cavity of a 12-hole mufin tin, and fill with mincemeat.
- From the remaning dough, cut out stars to fit on top of each mince pie.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes.
- Remove the pies from the oven, and allow them to cool down in the tin for 15 minutes, then use a sharp knife to run around each pie to pop them out of the muffin tin.
- Leave the pies to cool down completely, then dust with icing sugar.
Video
Notes
- Do not remove the mince pies from the muffin tin straight away once they come out of the oven. Not only the mincemeat filling is extremly hot and can burn your skin, but at that stage, the base is still quite soft and the pies won't hold their shape well.
- Allow them to cool down in the tin for at least 15 minutes, and if they are not easy to remove from the tin, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pies, they should pop out nicely.
- Let the pies cool down completely, the chocolate shortcrust pastry will firm up nicely and have a nice crunch to it, and the filling will be nicely set. Dusting with icing sugar is optional, but it does add a good touch to the pies.
Nutrition
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