Gingerbread Mince Pies

A festive plate with 4 mince pies topped with gingerbread men pastry.

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A cross between 2 classic holiday sweet treats, these Gingerbread Mince Pies are incredibly delicious and full of christmassy flavour. They are made with a gingerbread shortcrust pastry and store-bought mince meat for a fun and easy festive dessert that will go down well with the whole family. Spiced, rich and buttery, these gingerbread mince pies are a must-try this Christmas season.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Chilling Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: International

Servings: pies

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

250 g plain flour (2 cups)
125 g butter (½ cup + 1 tbsp)
3 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
1 egg
1 jar mincemeat (400 g, 13 oz)

Instructions

To make the gingerbread shortcrust pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl, add the cold butter cut into cubes, and rub the flour and butter together until you get a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar and spices, and mix everything well.
Beat the egg, and add it to the mixture.
Knead everything into an elastic dough that does not stick to the hands.
Cover the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Flour the work surface, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 3mm thickness.
Use a 10 cm (4 inch) cookie cutter to cut out 12 rounds, reworking the dough as needed.
Use a small gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out 12 gingerbread men.
Lightly press each pastry disc into the muffin cavities, then fill them with mincemeat.
Top each mince pie with a gingerbread man, and bake in the preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Video

Notes

Keep your butter cold when making the pastry, this ensures that the pastry doesn't shrink or melt during baking, and it stays crisp and you get golden pies.
Chilling the dough helps relax the gluten, preventing shrinkage and making perfect pies that do not have soggy bottom.
Don't overfill the pies with mincemeat, as this will spill over and make mess, I would go for ¾ full. Topping the pies with a gingerbread man pastry is optional, but it does look much more festive.

Nutrition