Mincemeat Tarts

The holidays are nearly here and it’s a time to celebrate joyous traditions with family and friends.  Many of these traditions involve classic recipes that have been lovingly handed down through the generations. Mincemeat tarts are one of those! They are full of warm spices, citrus notes and are rich and buttery. The shortcrust pastry is light, delicate and perfectly paired with a filling of mixed peel and dried fruit. These tiny tarts are a perfect addition to a holiday platter filled with all your Christmas favourites!

I know what you’re thinking if you’ve never heard of mincemeat tarts before – do they have meat in them? Well, the answer is yes, and no! There are many variations of the recipe but traditionally the recipe has meat and beef suet.

Although these mincemeat tarts differ from the traditional British version because they don’t have the meat and beef suet they are still just as delicious (do I dare say, if not better?) and make a great vegetarian option. Making the filling takes a little time but it’s well worth the effort as your home will smell of warm, spiced fruit that will surely get you into the holiday mood! You can find all of your nuts, spices, and dried fruit at your local Bulk Barn Foods and even the mixed peel. 

What is Mixed Peel?

Mixed peel is a combination of candied orange and lemon peel and is popular in British baking like fruit cakes and hot cross buns. It consists of orange and lemon rinds that have been boiled in sugar and water until they become translucent, sticky and sweet.

You can make your own mixed peel or to make life easier you can get ready made mixed peel at your Bulk Barn Foods.

What is Beef Suet?

Beef suet is commonly used in British cooking and baking like steak pies and Christmas pudding. It’s the raw, hard fat of beef found around the loins and kidneys. If you want to learn more about beef suet The Spruce Eats has a great article on everything you’d want to know about suet.  You can check it out here.

Make Ahead

It’s the holidays and you have a list a mile long with so many treats to bake and presents to wrap! The good news is this dessert is best made ahead! The filling should be prepped at least one day before baking so all the flavours of the mincemeat can absorb together. And, you can also make the pastry ahead of time too! Now you will have more time during the holidays to sit and sip on your favourite holiday drink!

Can you Freeze Mincemeat Tarts?

Yes! Another great thing about this recipe is you can make them ahead and pop them in the freezer to serve closer to Christmas. Simply place tarts in an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months.

How to make Mincemeat Tarts

Step One: Add fruit, nuts, spices, butter and apple cider vinegar to a pot, bring to a boil and simmer for approx. 1 hour. Transfer mincemeat to a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Step Two: Meanwhile make pastry and let rest in the fridge until ready to use. On a prepared work surface roll out dough 1/4 -1/8 inch thick. Using a 3.5 inch round cookie cutter, cut out pastry and gently press circles into muffin tins.

Step Three: Use dough scraps to cut out holiday shapes approx. 1 inch in size (stars, trees, etc. approx. 22-24 shapes). Keep dough cold as you work.

Step Four: Scoop mincemeat into each muffin cup and press gently to fill any spaces. Top each muffin cup with pastry holiday shapes. Again, gently press into mincemeat.

Step Five: Brush pastry with milk and bake. Once cooled dust the tops of each mincemeat tart with icing sugar.

Mincemeat Tarts

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Nothing says holiday classic more than mincemeat tarts. They are full of warm spices, citrus notes and are rich and buttery. The shortcrust pastry is light, delicate and perfectly paired with a traditional filling of mixed peel and dried fruit. Note, this recipe is best made the day ahead to let the mincemeat flavours absorb.

• Author: Alie Romano
• Prep Time: 24 hours
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 24 hours 15 mins
• Yield: 22 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Mincemeat Filling

• 2 cups (240 g) baking apples, peeled and diced
• 1 cup ( 200g) dark brown sugar
• 1 cup (140 g) currants
• 1 cup (154 g) golden raisins
• 3/4 cups (180 g) sultana raisins
• 1/3 cup (44 g) slivered almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (140 g) mixed peel, at Bulk Barn
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons brandy
• 2 Tablespoons rum
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Pastry

• 2 cups (272 g) all-purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 Tablespoons water
• milk, for brushing the pastry
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. In a large pot add all mincemeat ingredients, except the rum and brandy. Stir together and heat on medium high heat until mixture begins to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for approx. 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture will begin to thicken.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in brandy and rum.
3. Transfer mincemeat to a bowl and refrigerate overnight.
4. Meanwhile make your pastry.
5. In a food processor, add flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until fine crumbs form.
6. In a small bowl add yolks and water together, whisk to combine. Pour over flour mixture; pulse until mixture starts to clump together. Don’t overpulse.
7. Press dough into two discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the next day.
8. Preheat oven to 400˚F and set out 2 muffin tins.
9. On a prepared work surface roll out dough 1/4 -1/8 inch thick. Using a 3.5 inch round cookie cutter, cut out pastry and gently press circles into muffin tins. Use dough scraps to cut out holiday shapes approx. 1 inch in size (stars, trees, etc. approx. 22-24 shapes). Keep dough cold as you work.
10. Scoop mincemeat into each muffin cup and press gently to fill any spaces.
11. Top each muffin cup with pastry holiday shapes. Again, gently press into mincemeat.
12. Using a pastry brush, brush milk over pastry edges and shapes.
13. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
14. Let tarts cool in muffin tins on a cooling rack before removing. *You cannot remove hot pastry from the tins or they will break. Once tarts have cooled slide a knife around the edges to release any sugar that has bubbled over. Then gently use the knife to lift the cooled tarts out of the tins.
15. Dust tarts with powdered sugar.

Notes

Store in an airtight container for 3 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 243
• Sugar: 16.9g
• Sodium: 114mg
• Fat: 13.5g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 29.1g
• Fiber: 1.7g
• Protein: 3.2g
• Cholesterol: 52mg

Keywords: Mincemeat, Tarts, Christmas, Holiday, Dessert

FAQ’s

This blog post has been sponsored by Bulk Barn Canada where you can find all your baking needs! All opinions are my own and I’m so happy to work with brands I love so I can continue to share these recipes with all of you! I hope you guys get to a Bulk Barn soon and try out this recipe!

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