Mincemeat Tarts for Any Season

Mincemeat tarts are a traditional Christmas treat because of their warming spices, (think pumpkin pie,) alcoholic content and the use of preserved fruits. Hundreds of years ago, meat and suet were added to the fruit mixture. Today, most mincemeat tarts are completely meat-free and have a delicious filling of spiced fresh and dried fruits. The pastry dough can be made with butter or vegan butter substitutes, so the tarts can easily be vegan friendly. While it is perfectly fine to make these tarts from scratch, it is extremely easy to make quick and delicious mincemeat tarts with prepared pie dough and excellent commercially available mincemeat fillings. If you wish to bake “from scratch,” there are many mincemeat tart and pie recipes on the internet. This is a time saving version.

Mrs. Beaton’s and Nola’s Quick and Easy Mincemeat Tarts

Ingredients

❧ 1 package of prepared pie dough (not a shell unless you are baking a pie) vegan pie dough if preferred
❧ 1 jar of prepared mincemeat filling (see brand suggestions below) All are labeled vegan or are vegan-friendly
❧ 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash) For vegans, substitute maple syrup, almond milk or Just Egg.
❧ Good quality sweet butter or good quality sweet vegan butter ❧ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for sifting onto the top of the tarts
❧ Flour for work surface

Equipment

1 muffin pan. This recipe is based on a standard muffin pan. One can also use mini muffin pans for bite-sized mincemeat tartlets.
1 circular pastry cutter – 3.5” round
1 star pastry cutter – 2 to 2/1/4” – smaller if using mini pans Rolling pin.

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2 Lightly brush the wells and sides of a muffin pan with butter.

3 Divide the pie 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 ready to use. Use one ball at a time, reserving the rest of the dough in the refrigerator.

4 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” by 16” to 18”.

5 To make the tarts in a regular muffin pan, you will need (16) 3.5” circles and (16) 2- 2 ¼” stars for topping the tarts. Cut out as many as you can from each piece of rolled dough. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll the dough and cut out more if needed.

6 Gently press each circle of dough into a muffin well in a muffin pan. Make sure the dough is not too thick and not too thin. Too thick, and you won’t have enough filling; too thin and the pastry will collapse when you try to eat the tart.

7 Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom crust of each tart.

8 Fill each dough circle about 3/4 full of the mincemeat filling (about 2 tablespoons per tart), making sure the filling is compact and there are no air bubbles.

9 Place 1 star on top of each tart. Lightly brush each star with egg wash or egg wash substitute.

10 Bake until the crusts are golden brown — about 20 to 22 minutes.

11 Let them cool for 15 minutes in the tray before removing. Run a paring knife around the outside of the tart if necessary to help release the tarts from the muffin pan.

12 Lightly dust each tart with the powdered sugar by putting the sugar in a small wire mesh strainer and shaking it over each tart. Use a spoon to help push the sugar through, if necessary.

Notes Storage: You can store mince tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To reheat, preheat the oven to 350F, put the tarts on a baking tray, and bake until warm, about 5 to 8 minutes. For a fast reheat, put on a microwave plate and heat through for 30-60 seconds.

Freezer-Friendly: To freeze these tarts, let them cool to room temperature. Then store in an airtight container, separated by pieces of parchment paper. They will stay fresh-tasting for about 3 months.