In the run up to Christmas, I like to get ahead with festive preparations and not leave all the baking until the last minute. These delicious bite-size Eccles mince pies are handy to have in the freezer and can be cooked from frozen in just 10 minutes.
I open freeze them, uncooked, on a lined baking tray for a couple of hours and then transfer to thick freezer bags. This approach means you can easily take out what you need and pop them in the oven for a delicious treat served with a cup of tea or coffee.
Bite-size Eccles mince pies
Prep
Cook
Total
These bite-size Eccles-style mince pies are handy to have in the freezer and can be baked from frozen in just 10 minutes - perfect if you have unexpected guests arrive for some Christmas cheer.
Ingredients
- 2 packs Jus Rol ready rolled puff pastry (320g)
- All-purpose (plain) flour for dusting
- 400g vegetarian mincemeat
- 1 egg white
- Golden caster sugar
Instructions
- Take the pastry out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you start.
- Separate the egg yolk from the white, reserving the white in a small bowl. Lightly whisk with a fork. You can save the yolk and store in the fridge.
- Unwrap a roll of pastry on a board, leaving the paper underneath.
- Dip a 48mm (1 7/8 inch) plain cutter into some flour and cut out circles across the pastry. Push hard and try not to twist the cutter to avoid distorting the pastry circles.
- If the cutter starts to stick, dip in the flour again.
- Place half a teaspoon of mincemeat in the centre of each circle of pastry.
- Brush the edges with egg white and gather the pastry to encase the mincemeat.
- Turn over and press down lightly to form a small puck shape.
- Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
- With a sharp pointed knife cut two small slits on the top of each pie.
- Brush with egg white and then dredge with the golden caster sugar.
- Pop in the freezer for an hour.
- When frozen enough to handle, pop into freezer bags, label and return to the freezer.
To bake from frozen
- Heat the oven to 200°C or 190°C if using a fan oven.
- On a non-stick baking sheet, arrange the mince pies in rows so they aren't touching each other.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.