Mary Berry Mince Pies​ Recipe

Mary Berry Mince Pies are a classic British Christmas dessert. These festive treats combine crumbly shortcrust pastry with rich spiced mincemeat, fresh orange zest, and a splash of warming brandy for a traditional holiday flavour.

I’ve tried a few versions of mince pies and this one from Mary Berry is the one I keep going back to because the pastry is so reliable. Success depends on using cold butter and making sure you don’t overwork the dough at any stage. If you handle it too much, the pastry becomes tough and chewy rather than light and crumbly. That’s a mistake I made the first time I tried these, resulting in pies that were way too hard to bite into.

The orange zest is doing more work than you’d think in this recipe. Without it, the mincemeat can feel a bit heavy and one-dimensional because of all that sugar and dried fruit. It provides a bright, sharp lift that makes the spices like cinnamon and nutmeg really stand out. My family always knows it’s nearly Christmas when the kitchen starts to smell like fresh citrus and buttery pastry.

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Mary Berry Mince Pies Ingredients

For the Pastry

• 175g (6oz) plain flour
• 90g (3oz) butter, chilled and cubed
• 25g (1oz) icing sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Zest of 1 orange

For the Filling

• 411g (14.5oz) jar of quality mincemeat
• 15ml (1 tbsp) brandy or orange juice

For the Topping

• 15ml (1 tbsp) milk, for brushing
• 25g (1oz) caster sugar, for dusting
• 10g (0.5oz) icing sugar, for finishing

How To Make Mary Berry Mince Pies

1. Make the pastry: Put the plain flour, chilled butter, and icing sugar into a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and the orange zest to the bowl and pulse again until the dough just starts to clump together. Stop as soon as you see large lumps forming. If you don’t have a processor, rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until no large lumps remain.
2. Chill the dough: Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured worktop and use your hands to push it into a smooth, flat disc. Wrap the disc tightly in clingfilm and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. WARNING: Do not skip this step or the pastry will shrink and become greasy when it hits the heat.
3. Preheat your oven: Set your oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) and wait for the indicator light to go out. Rub a small amount of butter into each hole of a 12-hole patty tin and set it aside.
4. Roll out the pastry: Unwrap the dough and roll it out on a floured surface until it’s about 3mm (1/8in) thick, which is roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Use a 7.5cm (3in) round fluted cutter to stamp out 12 bases and press them into the prepared tin. Use your thumb to gently nudge the pastry into the bottom edges of each hole. Keep the pastry moving on the worktop to make sure it does not stick.
5. Fill the pies: Stir a tablespoon of brandy into the jar of mincemeat until the mixture is loose and glossy. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the fruit into each pastry case, making sure to leave a 5mm (1/4in) gap at the top.
6. Top the pies: Roll out the remaining pastry scraps and cut out 12 smaller circles for the lids with a 6cm (2.5in) cutter. Dab the edges of the pastry bases with cold water and press the lids down to create a tight seal.
7. Finish and bake: Brush the top of each pie with milk and sprinkle a heavy coating of caster sugar over the pastry. Cut a small slit in the middle of each lid and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. WARNING: Make sure you cut that slit properly or the steam will blow the lids off your pies.
8. Cool and serve: Leave the pies in the tin for 5 minutes until they are firm enough to move. Use a palette knife to lift them onto a wire rack and wipe the blade between each pie so you don’t smear any leaked filling. Dust them with icing sugar once they are cold to the touch.

Recipe Tips

• Keep everything cold. Use butter straight from the fridge and even chill your flour if the kitchen is warm. This stops the fat from melting before it hits the oven, which creates those flaky layers.
• Don’t overfill the pies. It’s tempting to cram in as much mincemeat as possible, but the sugar in the fruit will boil and spill over the sides. This glues the pastry to the tin and makes the pies impossible to remove without breaking.
• Use a glass for the bases. If you don’t have a 7.5cm (3in) cutter, a wine glass or a large mug often works as a substitute. Just dip the rim in flour first so the pastry doesn’t stick to the edge.
• Make the pastry in advance. You can keep the wrapped dough in the fridge for up to two days or freeze it for a month. This saves a lot of time on the day you want to bake.
• Check for soggy bottoms. If your oven runs cool, bake the pies on a preheated baking tray. The direct heat on the bottom of the patty tin helps the base of the pastry crisp up faster.
• Fix sticky pastry. If the dough gets too warm and starts sticking to the rolling pin, put it back in the fridge for ten minutes. Working with warm pastry is the fastest way to ruin the texture.

What To Serve With Mince Pies

Warm these pies up and serve them with a big dollop of brandy butter or some thick clotted cream. They also go well with a sharp cheddar cheese if you like that salty and sweet combination.

A glass of mulled wine or a hot cup of tea is the classic pairing for a mid-afternoon snack. You could also crumble one over a bowl of vanilla ice cream for a quick dessert.

How To Store Mince Pies

Fridge

Keep the baked pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. If you prefer to keep them in the fridge, they’ll stay fresh for a week but the pastry might lose some of its crunch.

Reheat

The best way to warm them is in a 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) oven for about 5 minutes until the pastry is crisp again. Avoid the microwave as it turns the shortcrust soft and the filling can get dangerously hot.

Freeze

You can freeze the baked pies for up to three months in a freezer-safe bag or box. Defrost them at room temperature for two hours before you eat them or warm them through from frozen in the oven.

Mary Berry Mince Pies Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 12):

• Calories: 225 kcal
• Protein: 2g
• Fat: 10g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Sugar: 20g
• Sodium: 50mg

Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.

FAQs

Why did my pastry shrink in the oven?

This usually happens because the dough wasn’t chilled for long enough or it was stretched too much when you pressed it into the tin. Make sure the pastry is cold and let it fall into the holes naturally rather than pulling it.

Can I use something other than brandy for the filling?

Yes, orange juice or a bit of rum works just as well to add extra depth to the mincemeat. If you want to keep the Mary Berry Mince Pies alcohol-free, just use the juice and some extra orange zest.

Can I make the pastry by hand instead of using a food processor?

Yes, you can rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Just be careful not to let the heat from your hands melt the fat, as this makes the pastry greasy.

How do I stop the mincemeat from leaking?

Do not overfill the pastry cases, as the sugar in the fruit will expand and boil over during baking. Leave a small gap between the top of the filling and the lid to give the steam somewhere to go.

Try More Recipes:

• Mary Berry Lemon Meringue Pie​ Recipe
• Mary Berry Ginger Flapjacks​ Recipe
• Mary Berry Lemon Curd Recipe​