Mincemeat Pinwheels: This quick and easy recipe uses jarred mincemeat and frozen puff pastry for a delicious addition to any Christmas dessert tray.
These are Mincemeat Pinwheels are a family favourite around here. On top of being really yummy, they are super easy. So if you don't have time for making homemade mincemeat or pastry from scratch this holiday season, then this is the recipe for you. It's super quick to make because we use store bought jarred mincemeat and frozen puff pastry.
These are not your traditional mince pies, but they're so quick and easy, and something a bit different. They're the perfect way to reinvent an old favorite, with this modern mincemeat pinwheel. These are the perfect treat for holiday entertaining, a little nibble while you decorate and put up the Christmas trees with family, or to share during a visit, or add to your holiday cookie trays.
Cookie Week
This is the fourth cookie for our Christmas Cookie Week -but strictly speaking it's not a cookie... not quite a tart either, or a Danish, or a square, we'll call it a Christmas Treat and leave it at that. 😉 It definitely will be a great addition to any cookie tray for the holidays
Mincemeat
Mincemeat is not as common here in Canada where I live, as it is in in the UK. In fact, lots people don't even know what it is.
Mincemeat is basically a mixture of chopped dried fruit. It usually has an apple base with lots of raisins, currants, and citrus peel. It also includes brandy and spices, and sometimes beef suet.
Originally, mincemeat always contained meat, thus the name, but now a days it doesn't even have to include beef suet. My family and I really like mincemeat, probably because we love any dessert with apples and raisins, and they're the best Christmas flavours. Look for a good quality mincemeat at the grocery store, in the baking aisle around the holidays. This is also a great recipe to use part of a leftover jar of mincemeat. Or if you do have your own mincemeat made from scratch it would be delicious in this recipe to.
Pastry
Mincemeat tarts traditionally made into little tarts or pies during the festive season. But this version is much easier than making pastry and forming tart shells. Rather than making shortcrust pastry from scratch, we choose to use puff pastry instead. It adds a wonderful crispy crunch which is the best part of these mincemeat pinwheels. We used store-bought puff pastry for this easy recipe. Look for the all butter frozen puff pastry in the freezer section of your grocery store. Follow the directions on the box to defrost the puff pastry sheet.
We've made mini tasty mincemeat pinwheels using frozen puff pastry. We the roll of puff pastry defrost, and then roll it out and cut it into even small squares. Next, use a sharp knife to cut diagonal slits from each corner of the square towards the middle, but not all the way through. Then you can add your tablespoon full of mincemeat into the center of each square. Finally we fold one corner of each pastry triangle into the center and push them down in the center to hold them in place. Bake these on a parchment paper lined large baking tray. Once the puff pastry mincemeat tarts are cool give them a little dusting with icing sugar and enjoy.
These mince pie pinwheels are best eaten the day they are made, while the puff pastry is nice and crisp. If you do have leftovers store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
If you want the mince meat pinwheels to have more of a golden brown color you can brush them with an egg wash before baking. Just beat an egg and brush it over the top of the pastry before putting them in the oven and the egg will help the final pinwheels to be a darker golden brown when they're finished baking.
I saw these puff pastry mincemeat pinwheels on a British cooking show many years ago, and it's so easy and so tasty, it's become a favourite Christmas recipe of ours. It's a great way to make a quick version, with all the same great taste of normal nice pies, but none of the hard work. And it's a great leftover mincemeat recipe to remember.
These Mincemeat Pinwheels are so quick to put together, they're literally prepared in minutes. Keep unused mincemeat in the fridge and ready to use for the next batch. These are the perfect quick and easy festive treats, and anyone who likes mincemeat will love these easy mincemeat pinwheels.
Recipe
Mincemeat Pinwheels
Ingredients
- ½ cup mincemeat
- 1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry thawed
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cut one sheet of thawed all-butter puff pastry into 9 even squares.
- Add diagonal slits to the corners of each square, taking care not to cut the centre of the square.
- Put each square of puff pastry onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Add about 1 tablespoon of the mincemeat to the center of each square. And fold in one corner of each triangle into the center to the center to form the pinwheel. Press the centre down quite firmly.
- Bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes until the pastry begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Once cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.
Nutrition
With these easy mincemeat pinwheels, life really is a party!
More Christmas Cookie Inspiration
Be sure to check out some of the other cookies for Christmas Cookie Week, including our Brown Sugar Caramel Thumbprint cookies here.
And try our Toblerone Shortbread Browned Flour Cookies if you missed it here.
Also, our tried and true Sugar Cookie Recipe here.
dnr says
Hi Zyn, sorry to hear you're having trouble with the shape. My suggestions is to press down the centre quite firmly so that it doesn't come apart as it bakes. Best of luck with it, Dannyelle.
Zyn says
We could have done something about it but the thing id that whenever I make it, it does not take shape for some reason. I think I will have to work on my technique more next time.