Easy Mincemeat Squares Recipe

For these Mincemeat Squares I used a luxurious sweet Mincemeat which I sandwiched together with two thin layers of easy to make shortcrust pastry.

These old Fashioned Mincemeat Bars are a perfect recipe for the pastry newbie to make. The more rustic they look the better they will taste.

This recipe is inspired by a Jam slice recipe in one of the Bero vintage cook books. I have several old ones and often turn to them for recipe ideas.

I really cannot be bothered to make individual mince pies at Christmas. That's why making Mince Pie squares are so much quicker and easier.

I've tried making my own Mincemeat

While it may be super delicious and satisfying to make your own mincemeat, there is such a variety in the shops these days that I often turn to shop bought. Try to go for the luxurious flavours with nuts, mixed fruits and candied peels. I keep saying to myself, next year I will make my own.

TIP: If you do choose to make your own Mincemeat, wait until the fresh crop of dried fruits are in the shops, here in the UK it's around September time. Don't be tempted to use what's been lurking in the back of your cupboard for the past 12 months. Buy fresh, it'll be worth the wait.

How to make the best Christmas Mincemeat Squares

Don't let the word pastry send you into a frenzy, this is easy, just give it a try. This other similar recipe for Mincemeat Traybake is also worth making.

Start by mixing the flour, salt and caster sugar together. Using your finger tips, rub in the Trex and butter until you have fine breadcrumb consistency. A food processor will make the job a lot quicker and easier.

Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of cold water, bring everything together to form a nice smooth dough.

TIP: Do not over work the pastry, you will stretch the gluten where the end result will be tough and leathery. Be gentle. I think this is why it puts a lot of home bakers off making pastry. They try making pasty once, then when it turns out tough they give up.

PRO TIP: Practice makes perfect.

Resting Pastry

Press the dough down and wrap in clingfilm, leave in the fridge for at least 30 mins to allow the pastry to relax. Make yourself a cuppa and relax too.

Now is the time to bring your oven up to temperature, in this case, it's 180deg Fan assisted. Unless you know your oven well, I recommend you invest in an oven thermometer. If you don't have one, give your oven plenty of time to come up to the correct heat.

Have ready a baking tray with greaseproof paper or a silicone baking mat.

Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two equal portions. Separately roll out each portion between two sheets of baking parchment or on a lightly dusted surface, to equal sizes measuring about 8”square and about 3-4mm thick.

Place one sheet of pastry on the baking tray and spread with the Mincemeat leaving about ½ inch space around the edges, this is to avoid any of the filling bubbling out during baking.

Place the other sheet neatly on the top and crimp the edges together with a fork creating a nice sealed edge and decorative pattern.

Pierce the top layer with a fork to allow all the steam to escape. If you omit this, your pastry may rise creating a hollow centre that may crack when you start to slice into squares. This is especially so if your pastry is a little too thick.

Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 mins or until baked and the pastry is a light golden brown colour.

As soon as you remove it from the oven dust with caster sugar while still hot.

The filling inside will be extremely hot, so leave to cool completely before slicing into squares.

Serve these Mincemeat Squares at Tea Time or just with a cuppa in the afternoon. I've no idea how long they will keep as everything in our house gets eaten within a few days.

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Notes and FAQ's about Mincemeat Squares

Mincemeat Squares

Lynn Hill

For these Mincemeat Squares I used a luxurious sweet Mincemeat which I sandwiched together with two thin layers of easy to make shortcrust pastry.

These old Fashioned Mincemeat Bars are a perfect recipe for the pastry newbie to make. The more rustic they look the better they will taste.

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting the Pastry in the Fridge 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Tea Time

Cuisine British

Servings 9

Calories 257 kcal

INGREDIENTS

• 225 g Plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 50 g Trex fridge cold
• 50 g Butter fridge cold
• 1 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 egg medium sized lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons very cold water
• 220 g Sweet Mincemeat
• Caster sugar for dusting.

Instructions

 

• Mix the flour, salt and caster sugar together. Using your finger tips, rub in the Trex and butter until you have fine breadcrumb consistency. A food processor will make the job a lot quicker and easier.
• Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of cold water, bring everything together to form a nice smooth dough.
• Press the dough down and wrap in clingfilm, leave in the fridge for at least 30 mins to allow the pastry to relax.
• Preheat the oven to 180 fan, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two equal portions. Roll out each portion between two sheets of baking parchment or on a lightly dusted surface, to equal sizes measuring about 8”square and about 3-4mm thick.
• Place one sheet of pastry on the baking tray and spread with the Mincemeat. Leave about ½ inch space around the edges, this is to avoid any of the filling spilling out of the pastry when it bakes. Place the other sheet neatly on the top and crimp the edges together with a fork creating a nice sealed edge and decorative pattern.
• Pierce the top layer with a fork to allow all the steam to escape. If you omit this, your pastry may rise creating a hollow centre that may crack when you start to slice into squares.
• Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 mins or until baked and the pastry is a light golden brown colour.
• Remove from the oven and dust with caster sugar while still warm.
• The filling inside will be extremely hot, so leave to cool completely before slicing into squares.

Notes

NOTES AND FAQ'S ABOUT MINCEMEAT SQUARES

What is the difference between Mincemeat and Minced Meat?

Mincemeat is a sweet filling comprising of mixed dried and fresh fruits, beef or vegetable suet and other delicious ingredients. Minced Meat is exactly the opposite, it's animal meat that has been chopped (minced) to a fine grain.
Please do not confuse the two and serve the latter with custard, that really will put you off baking.

Can I use a different filling?

If you don't want to use mincemeat for this recipe, use a jam filling, but as mincemeat weighs slightly heavier you will need to adjust the amount of jam that you use.

I don't have Plain Flour, can I use Self Raising Flour instead?

I've tried using Self Raising Flour and it works fine. Just make sure that you pierce the top pastry layer with a fork to let out any steam and roll the pastry out thinly. If it's too thick, the raising agent in the flour could make it rise too much. But remember, rustic is good and it will still taste great.

Keyword Easy Pastry, Mincemeat, shortcrust pastry