These brownie mince pies are the Christmas dessert mash-up you didn't know you needed! Crispy shortcrust pastry is filled with sweetly spiced mincemeat and rich, fudgy brownie. These are a fun alternative to traditional mince pies and are perfect for leaving out for Santa!
If you can't decide between a mince pie or a brownie (because same) then have both with my delicious brownie mince pies! They're fun and festive, and can be put together quickly with ready-made ingredients, or made from scratch if you prefer.
Just like traditional mince pies, they're filled with warm, gooey mincemeat, but instead of pastry on top, there's a lovely chewy brownie. It might sound like a strange combo but I promise it works! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ingredients and equipment
- Shortcrust pastry: I used ready-rolled sheets to make things even easier. You can make your own from scratch (recipe below) or use a puff pastry block if you prefer.
- Mincemeat: Jarred mincemeat is cheap and easy and gets the job done quickly. You can keep any leftovers for another recipe. Again, you can make this from scratch if you have the time and patience. I usually use Mary Berry's recipe.
- Boxed brownie mix: I made mine with Mr. Kipling's brownie mix. It was my first time trying it and I was very impressed! For the small amount of brownie mix you need for these mince pies, I honestly don't think it's worth the cost to make it from scratch, but if you have the ingredients lying around already, you can use my triple chocolate brownie recipe.
- Icing sugar: Adding a light dusting of icing sugar on top makes these pies look snowy and festive.
- Cookie cutters: You'll need a 3-inch circle cookie cutter (I used a fluted one) plus a small star cutter if you want to add pastry stars on top.
- Cupcake tin: I recommend using a shallow cupcake tin like this one. If your cupcake tin holes are deeper, you'll need to cut out bigger circles of dough to stop your pies from sinking.
- Piping bag: This isn't necessarily essential, but I found it so much quicker and easier to pipe the brownie mixture into the pies rather than spooning it in. If your brownie has chocolate chips or chunks in it, make sure that the hole you cut off the end of the bag is big enough to let them through.
- Utensils: A teaspoon for spooning the mincemeat into the pastry cases, plus a small sieve for dusting the icing sugar. You'll also need a rolling pin if you're not using ready-rolled sheets.
- Wire rack: For cooling the pies. This will prevent moisture from pooling at the bottom. Nobody likes a soggy pie!
Quick shortcrust pastry recipe
If you'd like to make your own shortcrust pastry from scratch, here's a quick recipe. The traditional ratio for this type of pastry is 2 parts flour to 1 part fat, plus a little water to help it come together. For these pies, I'd recommend starting with around 200g of flour, 100g of cold butter and 1 tablespoon of ice-cold water.
- Add the flour to a large bowl then rub the butter into it until you have a breadcrumb-like mixture.
- Add the water. Mix it in gently then press everything together to make a ball. Add an extra splash of cold water to help it come together if you need to.
- Pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling and baking according to the recipe instructions.
Homemade pastry tips
- Plain flour (all-purpose flour) is the best type to use for pastry. Avoid self-raising, which can cause it to have a soft puffy texture rather than a crisp, flaky one.
- Be careful not to overwork the dough or add too much water, which can lead to a dense, gummy texture. Shortcrust pastry dough is supposed to be quite rough and a bit crumbly (not smooth), but should hold together when you press it with your hands.
- Use cold butter straight from the fridge and ice-cold water. This will help you get that nice flaky texture.
How to make brownie mince pies step by step
Step 1: Unroll a shortcrust pastry sheet, or roll your pastry out until it's around ⅛th of an inch thick.
Step 2: Use a 3-inch fluted cookie cutter to cut out circles. You should get at least 12. You can reroll the scraps for more pies or use it for the stars to go on top.
Step 3: Place the pastry circles into a shallow cupcake tin then fill each one with 1 teaspoon of mincemeat.
Step 4: Next, prepare a box brownie mix (or homemade if you prefer) then pipe around 2 teaspoons of batter onto each pie. Be careful not to add too much or they will overflow in the oven!
Step 5: Roll out leftover dough and cut out small stars. Top some or all of the pies with a pastry star.
Step 6: Bake at 200°C for around 20 minutes, until the brownie is fully baked. You can check for pastry doneness by (very carefully) lifting up one of the pies. The base should be dry and cooked through.
Step 7: Let the pies cool in the tin for about 5-10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8: Top with a light dusting of icing sugar and enjoy!
Mince pie tips
- If you're using ready-made pastry, let it sit out at room temperature for around 20 minutes before you start baking. This will prevent it from tearing.
- Avoid overfilling the pies as the brownie mixture will spill over as it bakes, making them look uneven.
- Use a shallow cupcake tin if you're using a 3-inch cutter for the pastry. In a deeper tin, the weight of the filling will cause the pastry to sink into the hole.
- Leftover brownie mixture can be baked in cupcake cases at 180°C until cooked through.
FAQs
These will keep well in an airtight container for around 3 days at room temperature. After this time, the pastry can start to become a bit soft.
Yes, these can be frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container. Alternatively, you can freeze them until solid on a baking tray then pop them into a freezer bag. Then to defrost them, let them sit out on a wire rack at room temperature for an hour or two. Do not refreeze.
Nope! This isn't really needed for such small pies. The weight of the mincemeat and the brownie batter will prevent the pastry from puffing up in the oven.
Yes. You can either let them cool for about 10 minutes after they're done baking and enjoy them straight away, or you can reheat them after they've cooled. All you need to do is pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
More festive desserts
I hope you like my brownie mince pies! If you make them at home, please leave a comment and rating below to let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Brownie Mince Pies
Ingredients
- 320 g Ready-rolled shortcrust pastry sheet
- 1 Jar Mincemeat
- 1 Box brownie mix, prepared according to instructions (or homemade brownies if you prefer)
- Icing sugar, to dust
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200℃ (or 180℃ if you're using the fan setting).
- Unroll the pastry sheet then use a 3-inch cutter to cut out 12 circles.
- Place the pastry circles into a shallow cupcake tin then add 1 teaspoon of mincemeat to each one.
- Top each pie with 2 teaspoons of brownie batter (do not overfill).
- Reroll leftover pastry scraps to around ⅛-inch thick then cut out 6-12 stars. Add them on top of the brownie batter and gently press them into place.
- Bake the pies for 20 minutes. Let them cool in the tin for around 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Top with a dusting of icing sugar and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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