Mincemeat Tarts Recipe

Mincemeat tarts have a richly spiced fruit filling with notes of citrus and brandy baked in a flaky all-butter pastry crust. They’re a classic holiday dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword Mince Tarts, Mince Tarts Recipe, Mincemeat Tarts, Mincemeat Tarts Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Chill Time: 30

Servings tarts

Calories 351kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter chilled and diced
3/4 cup ice-cold water added a little at a time (plus more if needed)
4 cups mincemeat filling cooled completely if homemade
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar optional (for sifting on top of the tarts)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough. Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork, a pastry cutter, 2 butter knives, or your fingertips. It should look crumbly, with some pieces of butter the size of small peas. Drizzle the water in a little at a time, mixing as you go (you can use a fork to mix, but it works best mixing with your fingertips). Add just enough water so it comes together to form a ball of dough. (TIP: You may need more or less water than stated; the exact amount of water it takes to hydrate the dough depends on multiple factors, including the age of the flour and the humidity level.)
Chill the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each into a ball, flatten each ball slightly into a disk, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).
Roll out the dough. Place 1 disk of dough onto a floured work surface. Working from the center out, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 11 to 12-inches by 16 to 18-inches.
Stamp out the shapes you need. To make the tarts in a regular (standard-size) muffin pan, you will need 16 (3.5-inch) circles and 16 (2 to 2 1/4-inch) stars for topping (or whatever shape you like for topping). Stamp out as many as you can, and then repeat this process with the second disk of dough. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll the dough, and stamp out more if needed. (TIP: As you’re stamping out shapes, make sure you have the same amount of circles for the bottom crust as you do stars for the top crust.)
Line the wells. Lightly brush the wells of a muffin pan with butter. Gently press each circle of dough into a muffin well in a muffin pan. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom crust of each tart.
Fill the tarts. Fill each muffin well about 3/4 full with mincemeat filling (about 2 tablespoons per tart), making sure the filling is compact and there are no air bubbles.
Top with stars. Place 1 star on top of each tart. Lightly brush each star with eggwash, discarding any extra eggwash.
Bake. Bake in an oven preheated to 400F until the tarts are golden, about 20 to 22 minutes.
Cool. Let them cool for 15 minutes in the tray before removing. (TIP: If you run a paring knife along the outside of each tart, they should pop right out.)
Finishing touch. If desired, lightly dust with powdered sugar.

Notes

Shortcut Version: Use store-bought pie dough and store-bought mincemeat, such as Crosse & Blackwell, None Such, or Robertson’s.
Storage: You can store mince tarts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. After they’ve been in the fridge, I like to reheat them before serving (but reheating is optional; these are also delicious cold). To so do, preheat the oven to 350F, put the tarts on a baking tray, and bake until warm, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Freezer-Friendly: To freeze these tarts, let them cool to room temperature, and then store them layered between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When you want to serve them, thaw them to room temperature and then reheat them in a 350F oven on a baking tray for 5 to 8 minutes.
Make-Ahead: You can make both the filling and the pastry dough ahead of time. Store mincemeat filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store pastry dough wrapped well in the fridge for up to 3 days. This helps make baking this classic Christmas dessert as easy as possible when you want to finish making it.
To Make a 9-Inch Pie Instead: You can also make 1 (9-inch) double-crust pie with this recipe. Bake it in a 400F oven until golden, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Nutrition