Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies, gift ideas for the holidays.
Preferably handmade dough.
Of ancient English tradition, they have now conquered the world.
I discovered them after one of my trips to Malta, a former English colony, where I often go to visit my new nephew.
I tasted them, and I immediately wanted to replicate them to show you.
They have a rich filling of very fragrant and delicious dried fruit, with a crispy shell similar to shortcrust pastry filled with a rich, spiced filling, with lots of dried fruit, with some variations from the original.
Wanting to Italianize them, I added dark chocolate and since I’m Sicilian, I couldn’t leave out oranges.
I thought of these recipes for you:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Days
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: English
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring, Christmas
- Energy 699.36 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 106.69 (g) of which sugars 70.43 (g)
- Proteins 7.74 (g)
- Fat 26.69 (g) of which saturated 13.42 (g)of which unsaturated 9.14 (g)
- Fibers 2.84 (g)
- Sodium 78.41 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 175 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s do the shopping
- 2 cups cups all-purpose flour
- 7 tbsp tbsp butter (cold and in small cubes)
- 1/2 cup cup sugar
- 1 egg (large)
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tbsp tbsp water (cold from the fridge)
- 3/4 cup cup sugar
- 6 tbsp tbsp butter
- 1 orange zest (grated)
- 1 cup cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup cup raisins
- 2/3 cup cup candied fruit
- 1/3 cup cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup cup dates
- 1/4 cup cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup cup hazelnuts
- 3 tbsp tbsp rum (or brandy)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- to taste powdered sugar
Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies
Tools
Here’s what we need to make
- 1 Bowl large
- 1 Container 1-liter glass with airtight lid
- 8 Tart Molds 6 cm tartlet
- 1 Knife
- Sugar Duster
Steps
To prepare
Start with the filling: melt the butter in a saucepan and let it cool.
Then take a large bowl and put all the fresh and dried fruits (cranberries, raisins, cherries in pieces,
diced apples, diced oranges, chopped dates, chopped walnuts),
the dark chocolate chips, sugar, grated organic orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Mix well and add the cooled butter, orange juice, and rum or brandy.
Transfer the filling into an airtight glass container and refrigerate for at least 1-2 days, stirring occasionally.Prepare the base for the Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies by mixing the flour, a pinch of salt, and diced butter in a large bowl until you get a crumbly mixture, similar to our classic crumbles for example.
At this point, add the sugar and mix with your hands, then
the previously beaten egg and the ice water.
Now you’re ready to knead everything well until you obtain a compact, smooth, and homogeneous dough.
Form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Now decide whether to make 8 tartlets or 2 larger ones, about 8 inches.
If you opted for 8 tartlets, after the resting time, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and form a not too thin sheet.Then cut about 12-16 discs about 3 inches in diameter.
Brush the tart molds with melted butter and flour, or use a non-stick spray.
But if you don’t have them, you can create these delights even in paper or silicone molds.
Then line them with the dough discs you cut out, and fill them with the filling.
With the remaining dough, cut out stars and cover each tartlet or mince pie with a star.
If you want to make 1 or 2 larger pies, you can use pie pans like the one in the picture and continue with the instructions for the smaller pies.
To help you transfer the sheet, you can use the same parchment paper with which you rolled the dough before, as seen in the picture.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and only when it’s reached temperature, place the tartlets on a larger baking sheet to make it easier, and bake the tartlets or Mince Pies for about 30 minutes or until they are golden brown on the surface.
If you made larger tartlets, it might take a little longer depending on your oven.
Now our Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies are baked.
Wait until they cool down, and then unmold them, then dust them generously with powdered sugar.
Merry Christmas to all of you.
Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies can be stored at room temperature for 10 days, but they can also be frozen raw and then baked when needed.
Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies can be stored at room temperature for 10 days, but they can also be frozen raw and then baked when needed.
Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies can be stored at room temperature for 10 days, but they can also be frozen raw and then baked when needed.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Christmas Tartlets or Mince Pies
I have shortcrust pastry at home, can I use it for the base?
Yes, you can replace the base dough with your shortcrust pastry
Yes, you can replace the base dough with your shortcrust pastry
For a more diet-friendly alternative, what can I do?
You could make this recipe of mine, click here: Quick Tartlets with Apple and Raisins
You could make this recipe of mine, click here: Quick Tartlets with Apple and Raisins
