Gordon Ramsay’s mince pies are light and buttery with an orange-zest shortcrust, mincemeat folded with dried cranberries, and pastry stars on top. They bake in 15 to 20 minutes and the recipe makes 24.
This is his real recipe from Ultimate Christmas. He works fresh orange zest into the pastry dough so the citrus bakes through the crust, and stirs dried cranberries into the mincemeat for a tart pop that cuts the sweetness. Two small moves, and they’re the reason these don’t taste like every other mince pie.
The pastry is food-processor fast. Flour, icing sugar, butter and orange zest whizzed to crumbs, the egg pulsed in, wrapped and chilled in under five minutes. He says it can be made three days ahead or frozen for a month.
Gordon Ramsay Mince Pies
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy24
pies20
minutes20
minutes160
kcalFrom Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Christmas. An orange-zest shortcrust pastry filled with mincemeat and dried cranberries, topped with pastry stars and baked until crisp and golden. Makes 24.
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
25g icing sugar
125g chilled unsalted butter, diced
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
1-3 tsp ice-cold water (if needed)
- For the filling:
400g good-quality mincemeat (or homemade, see below)
150g dried cranberries
- To finish:
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water
Icing sugar or caster sugar, to dust
Directions
- Make the pastry: Put the flour, icing sugar, butter and orange zest into a food processor and whiz to fine crumbs. With the motor running, add the egg and whiz for a few seconds until the mixture forms clumps you can press together. Add a little ice-cold water only if needed. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth, wrap in cling film and chill at least 30 minutes.
- Fill: Stir the cranberries into the mincemeat. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a one pound coin. Cut out 24 rounds with an 8cm fluted cutter and press into two 12-hole mince pie tins.
- Top: Re-roll the trimmings and stamp out 24 stars or Christmas trees. Spoon a dessertspoonful of filling into each case and press the tops in place. Chill 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4).
- Bake: Brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Cool a few minutes in the tins, then lift onto a wire rack.
- Serve: Dust with icing sugar and serve warm. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
The recipe works well with a good jar of mincemeat, but if you want to make your own, Gordon’s version from the same book is worth the effort. It uses brandy, dark rum and dried apricots alongside the raisins, and it gets better the longer it sits.
Gordon’s Homemade Mincemeat
Peel and grate a large dessert apple into a big bowl. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange, 110g suet, 240g raisins, 110g diced dried apricots, 175g soft dark brown sugar, 50g flaked almonds, 1½ tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, 50ml brandy and 50ml dark rum.
Stir well, cover and chill. Transfer to sterilised jars and store in the fridge. It improves the longer you let it mature, but use within 6 months. Makes about 1.25kg, enough for 3 batches of mince pies.
FAQs
Why does Gordon put orange zest in the pastry?
Most mince pie pastry is plain, just a carrier. His has fresh orange zest worked into the dough so the citrus bakes through the crust itself. You taste it before the filling even lands, and the whole kitchen smells right when they come out of the oven.
Why cranberries in the mincemeat?
They’re tart and chewy, so they cut through the sweetness that makes a straight jar filling one-note. Stir them in on the day you fill the pies, not when you jar the mincemeat, or they go mushy. His cranberry sauce uses the same sharp-meets-sweet logic.
Should I make the mincemeat or buy it?
Gordon uses a 400g jar of good-quality shop-bought as his default and that’s fine. His homemade version is better if you plan ahead: brandy, dark rum, dried apricots, flaked almonds, and it “improves the longer you let it mature.” Make it weeks before Christmas and it’s deeper by the time you bake.
Can I use puff pastry instead of shortcrust?
Gordon’s recipe uses shortcrust, not puff. Puff rises too much and the lids blow off the filling. His shortcrust stays thin, crisp and flat, which is what holds the star shape on top and keeps everything together. If you want a flaky alternative, roll the shortcrust slightly thicker and press the edges with a fork, but don’t swap to puff for these.
How do I stop the pastry going tough?
Use the food processor and stop the second the dough clumps. Don’t let it form a ball in the machine. Then chill it at least 30 minutes before rolling, warm pastry shrinks and goes hard. Same rule as his apple pie pastry: cold, brief, and don’t overwork it.
How far ahead can I make them?
Baked pies keep in an airtight tin for a week. The dough freezes for a month. The homemade mincemeat stores six months in the fridge. So the real move is jar the mincemeat in November, freeze the dough a week before, fill and bake on the day. His Christmas pudding improves with time the same way.
What size cutter do I need?
8cm fluted round for the bases, then a smaller star or Christmas-tree cutter for the tops from the re-rolled trimmings. Press the bases into non-stick mince pie tins, not a muffin tray, the holes are shallower and the right shape.
