Traditional British Mince Pies with Brandy-Infused Fruit Filling

Imperial November 8, 2026November 8, 2026

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

Yield: 12 mince pies; 1 pie per serving
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including 30 minutes of pastry chilling and 10 minutes of cooling; the filling cools while the pastry is prepared and chilled

Quick Ingredients

Fruit filling: 100 g raisins, 75 g dried currants, 100 g peeled and cored apple, 40 g candied mixed citrus peel, 50 g soft dark brown sugar, and 25 g unsalted butter.
Filling flavorings: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest, 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 30 ml orange juice, 15 ml lemon juice, and 45 ml brandy.
Pastry: 225 g plain flour, 125 g cold unsalted butter, 50 g icing sugar, 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, 1 large egg yolk, and 30 ml cold water, plus up to 15 ml more if needed.
For shaping and finishing: 5 g softened butter for the tin, 15 g flour for dusting, 1 large beaten egg for glazing, and 8 g icing sugar for serving.
Optional brandy butter: 60 g softened unsalted butter, 60 g icing sugar, and 15 ml brandy.

Do This

1. Finely dice the apple. Cook all filling ingredients except the brandy over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, then spread in a shallow bowl to cool for 20 minutes.
2. Rub the cold pastry butter into the flour, icing sugar, and salt. Mix in the egg yolk and 30 ml cold water, adding up to 15 ml more only if needed. Form a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F. Grease a standard 12-hole muffin tin. Roll the pastry 3 mm thick; cut twelve 9 cm rounds and twelve 5 cm stars.
4. Stir 45 ml brandy into the cooled filling. Line the tin with the pastry rounds, divide the filling between them, and add the stars. Brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden with cooked pastry bases. Meanwhile, beat together the optional brandy butter ingredients.
6. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack for 5 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, with brandy butter if you like.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

A proper British festive favorite: Buttery little pastry cases hold richly spiced, brandy-infused fruit mincemeat. Despite the traditional name, this filling contains no meat.
Balanced, fragrant filling: Apple and citrus brighten the raisins and currants, while brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg bring cozy depth.
Pretty without being fiddly: Simple pastry stars give the pies a classic homemade finish without the work of sealing full lids.
Made for planning ahead: Prepare the filling and pastry in advance, or freeze the baked pies for easy holiday entertaining.

Grocery List

Produce: 1 small cooking apple, such as Bramley or Granny Smith; 1 orange; 1 lemon.
Dairy: 155 g unsalted butter, plus another 60 g if making brandy butter.
Eggs: 2 large eggs; use 1 yolk for the pastry and 1 whole egg for glazing.
Pantry: Plain flour, icing sugar, soft dark brown sugar, raisins, dried currants, candied mixed citrus peel, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and fine salt.
Spirits: 45 ml brandy for the filling, plus another 15 ml for optional brandy butter.

Full Ingredients

Brandy-Infused Fruit Filling

100 g raisins
75 g dried currants
100 g peeled and cored cooking apple, cut into 5 mm dice
40 g candied mixed orange and lemon peel, finely chopped
50 g soft dark brown sugar
25 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest, from approximately 1 orange
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, from approximately 1 lemon
30 ml freshly squeezed orange juice, equivalent to 2 tablespoons
15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, equivalent to 1 tablespoon
45 ml brandy, equivalent to 3 tablespoons

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

225 g plain flour, also called all-purpose flour
125 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
50 g icing sugar, also called powdered or confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg yolk
30 ml cold water, equivalent to 2 tablespoons, plus up to 15 ml more if needed

For the Tin, Glaze, and Serving

5 g softened unsalted butter, for greasing
15 g plain flour, for dusting the work surface
1 large egg, beaten, for glazing; you may not need all of it
8 g icing sugar, approximately 1 tablespoon, for dusting the finished pies

Optional Brandy Butter

60 g unsalted butter, softened but not melted
60 g icing sugar, sifted
15 ml brandy, equivalent to 1 tablespoon

Traditional British Mince Pies with Brandy-Infused Fruit Filling – Closeup

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook the fruit filling

Put the raisins, currants, diced apple, candied peel, brown sugar, 25 g butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Leave out the brandy for now.

Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. The butter should melt, the sugar should dissolve, and the apple should begin to soften. Aim for a moist, glossy mixture with no pool of thin liquid at the bottom; keep the heat gentle so the fruit does not catch.

Transfer the filling to a shallow heatproof bowl and spread it out. Let it cool for 20 minutes while you make and chill the pastry. It should be at room temperature before it goes into the pastry cases.

Step 2: Make and chill the pastry

Mix the flour, icing sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, with a few tiny butter flecks remaining. Alternatively, pulse briefly in a food processor.

Add the egg yolk and 30 ml cold water. Stir with a table knife until small clumps form, then gently press the mixture together. If dry crumbs will not hold when squeezed, add the remaining water 5 ml at a time, using only as much as needed. Do not knead.

Shape into a disc about 2 cm thick, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The resting time helps the pastry roll neatly and reduces shrinking.

Step 3: Prepare the tin and cut the pastry

During the last 15 minutes of chilling, preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F, with a rack in the middle. Grease a standard 12-hole muffin tin with 5 g softened butter. You will also need a 9 cm round cutter and a 5 cm star cutter.

Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin, using the measured dusting flour as needed. Roll the pastry to 3 mm thick. Cut twelve 9 cm rounds, gathering and gently rerolling the scraps as necessary. Press each round into a muffin well, easing it into the base and roughly 2 cm up the sides without stretching it.

Cut twelve 5 cm stars from the remaining pastry. If the dough becomes soft or greasy during shaping, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before continuing; this will add 10 minutes to the total time.

Step 4: Fill the cases and add the stars

Stir the 45 ml brandy into the cooled fruit filling. Divide the filling evenly among the pastry cases, using approximately 45–50 g per pie, or about 2 rounded tablespoons. Keep it just below the pastry rim rather than packing it in tightly. If your tin has smaller wells, reserve any excess filling rather than overfilling.

Place a pastry star on each pie, resting the points lightly on the filling or pastry edge. Brush the stars and exposed pastry rims with a thin coating of beaten egg. Avoid letting egg collect between the pastry and tin, where it can make the pies stick.

Step 5: Bake until golden

Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes, until the stars and pastry rims are golden brown and the filling is gently bubbling. Start checking at 22 minutes if your oven tends to run hot. If the tops brown before the pastry is cooked, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.

The pastry should look dry and set, not pale and doughy. There is no need to blind-bake these small cases because the filling is already cooked and contains very little free liquid.

Step 6: Make the optional brandy butter

While the pies bake, beat the 60 g softened butter with the 60 g sifted icing sugar for 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the 15 ml brandy gradually, adding 5 ml at a time so the mixture stays smooth.

Spoon into a small serving bowl. Keep it cool until serving; if your kitchen is warm, refrigerate it briefly so it holds a soft, spoonable shape.

Step 7: Cool briefly and serve warm

Leave the baked pies in their tin for 5 minutes. Carefully loosen the edges with a small palette knife, lift the pies onto a wire rack, and cool for another 5 minutes. This short rest helps the delicate pastry firm up and lets the very hot fruit filling settle.

Dust with the 8 g icing sugar just before serving. Enjoy warm on their own or with a small spoonful of brandy butter. The butter will soften into the warm fruit filling beautifully.

Pro Tips

Use dried currants, not fresh berries: Traditional baking currants are tiny dried grapes. Their concentrated flavor is part of what makes this filling taste like classic mincemeat.
Cool the filling completely: Warm fruit softens the butter in the pastry, making the cases harder to handle and more likely to lose their shape.
Keep the pastry short and tender: Add water sparingly and stop working the dough as soon as it holds together. Too much water or kneading can make the baked cases tough.
Watch the filling level: A little space below the pastry rim helps prevent sticky fruit juices from bubbling over and gluing the pies to the tin.
Choose brandy you enjoy: An ordinary drinking brandy works well; there is no need for an expensive bottle. Baking does not reliably remove all alcohol.

Variations

Alcohol-free mince pies: Replace the 45 ml brandy with 45 ml orange juice. For the optional butter, replace its 15 ml brandy with 10 ml orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest.
Cranberry and almond: Replace 30 g of the raisins with 30 g dried cranberries. Scatter 15 g flaked almonds over the pies after glazing and before baking. This variation contains nuts.
Fully covered pies: Replace the stars with twelve 6 cm pastry rounds rolled from the remaining dough. Brush the case rims lightly with beaten egg, add the lids, pinch to seal, and cut a small steam slit in each. Brush with egg and bake at the same temperature for 25 minutes, checking that the lids are golden.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Filling: Make up to 4 days ahead. Cool, stir in the brandy, transfer to a clean airtight container, and refrigerate. This is a fresh homemade filling, not a shelf-stable preserve. Let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before filling the pastry cases.

Pastry: Refrigerate the wrapped dough for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator, then let it stand for 10–15 minutes before rolling if it feels too firm.

Baked pies: Cool completely before storing. Keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 24 hours, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze without the icing sugar dusting for up to 3 months, separating layers with baking parchment. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Reheating: Place thawed or refrigerated pies on a baking tray and warm at 160°C / 140°C fan / 320°F for 10 minutes, or until hot in the center. Add fresh icing sugar after reheating.

Brandy butter: Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 1 week. Let it soften at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Estimated for 1 of 12 pies, including the icing sugar dusting and excluding optional brandy butter. Values vary with the amount of egg wash used and the brands of candied peel and dried fruit.