Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Orange Sweet Pastry
- 250 g plain flour
- 50 g icing sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter, cold, diced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 5 g orange zest, finely grated
Filling
- 300 g vegetarian sweet mincemeat
- 15 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 120 g marzipan, divided into 10g portions
Glaze and Finish
- 1 egg, beaten
- 15 ml milk, whole or semi-skimmed
- 5 g icing sugar, for dusting
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 301 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 44 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 27 g
- Sodium
- 14 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 50 mg
- Potassium
- 136 mg
- Calcium
- 25 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Phosphorus
- 52 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 84 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.05 mg
- Niacin
- 0.3 mg
- Folate
- 10 mcg
- Water
- 12 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the plain flour, icing sugar, and cold diced butter in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the orange zest and the beaten egg to the processor. Pulse briefly just until the dough begins to clump together. Do not overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, bring it together gently with your hands into a smooth disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
While the pastry chills, mix the vegetarian mincemeat with the freshly squeezed orange juice in a bowl to loosen it and brighten the flavor. Roll the marzipan into 12 equal small spheres, then flatten slightly into discs.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (350°F) for fan-forced ovens. Lightly grease the 12-hole tart tin.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness. Using a large fluted cutter, cut out 12 circles and press them gently into the prepared tart tin. Re-roll the scraps to cut 12 smaller circles or stars for the lids.
Place one flattened marzipan disc into the base of each pastry shell. Top with approximately one tablespoon of the orange-spiked mincemeat, leaving a small gap at the top to prevent bubbling over.
Whisk the remaining egg with the milk to create an egg wash. Brush the rims of the pastry bases lightly with the wash, then place the smaller pastry lids or stars on top. Press edges gently to seal if using full lids, and brush the tops with more egg wash.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and deeply golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the tarts to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
Chef's Notes
- To maximize the citrus aroma, rub the orange zest directly into the icing sugar before mixing it with the flour. The sugar crystals will break down the essential oil glands in the zest.
- Do not skip the chilling phase for the pastry. Resting relaxes the gluten network and sets the butter, ensuring a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture that will not shrink in the oven.
- If your mincemeat is particularly thick or dry, a splash of brandy or amaretto alongside the orange juice will rehydrate the dried fruit and complement the marzipan.
- For an extra professional finish, chill the assembled, unbaked tarts for 15 minutes before placing them into the hot oven. The sudden burst of heat on cold butter creates ultimate flakiness.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container. Pastry will soften slightly over time.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze baked tarts in a single layer before transferring to a sealed container. Thaw at room temperature.
Reheating: Warm in a 150C oven for 5-8 minutes to restore pastry crispness.
Troubleshooting
Pastry shrinks down the sides of the tin during baking
Cause: The gluten in the flour was overworked, or the pastry was not chilled sufficiently before baking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but the tarts will still taste delicious.
Prevention: Handle the dough as little as possible and ensure a strict 1-hour minimum resting time in the refrigerator.
Mincemeat bubbles over and sticks to the tin
Cause: Tarts were overfilled.
Fix: Run a small knife around the edge of the tarts while they are still warm to prevent them from adhering to the tin as the sugar cools.
Prevention: Always leave a 2mm gap between the top of the mincemeat and the rim of the pastry base.
Pastry is tough and hard rather than crisp and crumbly
Cause: Butter was allowed to get too warm during mixing, causing it to absorb into the flour rather than coat it.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Use ice-cold butter and keep your hands cool. If the kitchen is hot, chill the flour and bowl before starting.
Cultural Context
Mince pies are an iconic cornerstone of British Christmas culinary traditions, dating back to the Middle Ages when they were a savory blend of spiced meats and dried fruits. By the Victorian era, the meat was entirely replaced by suet and fruit, evolving into the sweet treat we recognize today. The addition of marzipan in this recipe introduces a Continental festive influence, bridging the robust British spice profile with the delicate, honeyed almond notes common in German and Scandinavian holiday baking.
