Mince Pie Pops

These Mince Pie Pops are so much fun to make (and eat!) and make the most adorable Christmas gifts for friends and neighbours!

Today, we are talking CHRISTMAS and what could be more festive than these mini mince pie pops!

All you naysayers and ‘it’s only November’ers’ can leave the room right now.

As all you homemade gift lovers know, you have to get ahead of the game when it comes to making your own Christmas pressies.

So let’s ride this festive wave.

I have a GIGANTIC list of foodie gifts that I have been meaning to make forever. And this year… I AM ON IT!

You guys, this blog is about to be bombarded by the Mother Load of fun, edible, pretty, useful or just downright cute homemade gifts. I’ll drop some links to some other favourite DIY gift ideas below…

Homemade Mini Mince Pies

OK, we need to start these cuties off with pastry.

Pastry has never been my strong point so I cheated and used shop-bought shortcrust pastry. Please feel free to make your own pastry from scratch.

I will be suitably impressed.

I went for a star-shaped cookie cutter, but feel free to use any shape you fancy. If you don’t have any cutters, just use a small upturned glass or bowl rather than running out to buy something especially.

Each ‘pop’ needs a front and a back piece of pastry. So you’ll need to cut out double the number of star shapes as mince pie pops you intend to make.

(Not sure that made a whole lot of sense, so check out the pic below! Two stars, filled with mincemeat and a lolly stick gets sealed in between as the ‘handle’)

What is Mincemeat?

For all my non-UK friends reading this, ‘mincemeat’ may not be what you’re thinking.

It is actually a sweet pie filling made of dried fruits, spices, suet (an animal-based fat, although there are also veggie versions), and sometimes alcohol.

It’s only really eaten at Christmas. And most often in Mince Pies.

Originally, Christmas Mince Pies would have been filled with a meat-based filling which is how they got their name. But over the years it got morphed into the sweet mincemeat we know today. 

You can buy jars of ready-made mincemeat everywhere from huge supermarkets to tiny corner shops. It’s a huge part of our cultural festivities!

However, it’s really easy, and way nicer to make your own. I have a cracking recipe which I humbly named the Best Mincemeat Recipe if you fancy giving it a go!

And it’s worth noting that a jar of homemade mincemeat makes a superb Christmas gift all on its own :) 

A quick side note – this traditional figgy pudding recipe like the mincemeat recipe above is another old fashioned festive recipe too and the post makes an interesting read!

Mince Pie Pops

So, once you lay out your bottom star of pastry, you add a lolly stick. I ordered mine from Amazon (affiliate link), but if you can source ‘lolly sticks’ or ‘cake pop sticks’ locally then more the better.

Pop one of your sticks on to the bottom pieces of pastry. Press down gently to embed it into the pastry.

Top with a teaspoon or so of mincemeat.

Then carefully brush some egg wash around the edges so they’ll seal, and top with the second star of pastry.

Gently press the edges together, being careful to seal the mincemeat inside.

Then use the tip of a fork to squish and crimp the edges shut. I was quite delighted at this point as the crimping turned my little stars into snowflakes!

Brush the top of the mini mince pies with some eggwash then scatter a pinch of brown sugar over the top.

I’m thinking some edible glitter would be fun to add at this point too :)

And then simply bake in a preheated oven.

When the cooking time is up, gently lift each pie pop off the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and let fully cool.

Once fully cooled a little sprinkle of icing (confectioners) sugar would be a nice touch.

They can be stored in an airtight tin for a few days.

You can find the full recipe below. And if you give it a go, I do hope you love making them as much as I did. 

Please feel free to tag me in any pics you share online, I just love seeing my recipes being made around the world! You can find me pretty much everywhere as @hedgecomber.

Jane x

5 from 10 votes

Print

Mince Pie Pops

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Course: sweet treats

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Mince Pie Pops

Servings: 12

Calories: 174 kcal

Ingredients

• 250 g shortcrust pastry at room temperature
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 400 g jar mincemeat
• 1 egg, beaten for eggwash
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

UK Measurements - USA Measurements

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180/350/gas 4.

2. Sprinkle a little flour onto the work surface, then roll out the pastry.

3. Using a star cutter, cut out double the number of pastry shapes as you want to make mince pie pops (ie each pop uses two pastry shapes)

4. Brush egg wash over half of the pastry shapes, using a pastry brush.

5. Lay a cake pop (or paper lollipop) stick on to the egg washed shapes and press gently.

6. Spoon about a teaspoon of mincemeat onto the centre of each shape, leaving the edges clear and clean.

7. Lay the top pastry shape onto each pie pop, and gently press the edges together. Carefully work around each pop with the prongs of a fork to crimp the edges together.

8. Brush the top of each pop with egg wash and sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

9. Move each pop to a baking sheet that has been dusted lightly with flour. Bake in the pre heated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the pops are golden brown and smelling delicious!

10. When cooked, let cool on a baking rack until either cool enough to eat. 

    If wrapping to give as gifts, be sure to let completely cool first.

Nutrition Facts

Mince Pie Pops

Amount Per Serving

Calories 174 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 0g0%

Cholesterol 13mg4%

Sodium 292mg13%

Potassium 20mg1%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 23g26%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 20IU0%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 0.8mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.