Easy puff pastry mincemeat pinwheels are much quicker to make than mince pies and just as tasty!
All you need to make these festive mince pie swirls is store-bought ready-rolled puff pastry, mincemeat, and a few special ingredients to make them really stand out from the crowd!
As Christmas approaches I'm always looking for quick and simple festive bakes I can whip up for unexpected guests.
These easy mince pie pinwheels are just perfect for that very situation and a great way of using up leftover mincemeat!
👩🍳 Don't forget to check out my mincemeat muffins too! Another quick and easy recipe using mincemeat!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick and easy festive bake using mincemeat & puff pastry.
- Easier to make than traditional shortcrust pastry mince pies.
- Perfect for Christmas parties and bake sales.
- Freezer-friendly and can be baked from frozen.
🛒 Ingredients
Mincemeat - shop-bought or homemade!
Puff Pastry - ready-rolled puff pastry. Don't go to the bother of making your own; store-bought puff pastry is excellent!
Dried Cranberries - give the pinwheels an extra fruity flavour.
Clementine - the zest of 1 clementine, or use a satsuma.
Egg - you'll need 1 egg for the egg wash. Don't skip this!
Icing Sugar - a dusting of icing sugar gives the mince pie swirls a pretty festive look.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Unroll the puff pastry sheet and spread the mincemeat over the top leaving a small gap on the long edges.
Two: Scatter over the cranberries and clementine zest.
Three: Roll the pastry up on the long edge (use the baking paper that comes with the rolled puff pastry sheet to help you create as tight a roll as possible).
Four: Using a sharp knife cut slices about 2cm thick and place them on a lined baking sheet. Brush with the egg wash.
Five: Bake in a preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
💭 Top tips
- If you have time, it's worthwhile chilling the rolled-up pastry for 15 minutes prior to cutting it into pinwheel slices. Chilling will make slicing the pastry so much easier. But if you haven't got time, don't worry!
- Double the recipe if you're feeding a crowd.
- Line your baking trays, even if they are non-stick. Mincemeat will stick like glue once baked, and you'll have a hard time scrubbing it clean.
🍴 Serving suggestions
The mincemeat swirls are a great addition to any festive buffet, bake sale, or drinks party, along with chocolate orange tiffin, and cranberry white chocolate blondies.
📖 Variations
- Don't like mincemeat? Make a jam or Nutella swirls instead.
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts to give the mincemeat pinwheels some crunch.
- Make them vegan by using vegan puff pastry, vegetarian mincemeat and glazing them with apricot jam instead of egg.
🥡 Storage
Store - The baked mincemeat pinwheels will keep in an airtight tin for up to 3 days.
Freeze - The pinwheels can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
❓ FAQs
During medieval times, mincemeat originally contained minced meat along with fruit and spices. The modern version is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, spirits (brandy, rum, or whisky), and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Why not try adding it to an apple crumble?
😋Related recipes
More festive recipes from the Effortless Foodie kitchen!
- Puff Pastry Mince Pies
- Mincemeat Crumble Slices
- Mincemeat Flapjacks
- Crumble Topped Mince Pies
- Chocolate Orange Brownies
- Mince Pie Blondies
- Mini Sausage Rolls
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Recipe
Puff Pastry Mincemeat Pinwheels
Equipment
- Knife
- Baking Tray
- Baking Paper
Ingredients
- 375 g Puff Pastry Sheet ready rolled
- 400 g Mincemeat
- 40 g Dried Cranberries
- 1 Clementine zest only
- 1 Egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon Icing Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200° (180 fan/ Gas 6) and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
- Unroll the puff pastry sheet and spread the mincemeat over the top leaving a small gap on the long edges.
- Scatter over the cranberries and grate over clementine zest.
- Roll the pastry up on the long edge (use the baking paper that comes with the rolled puff pastry sheet to help you create as tight a roll as possible).
- If you have time, pop the pastry roll in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife cut slices about 2cm thick and place them on the lined baking sheets. Brush with the egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays before removing to a wire rack.
- Once cool, dust with icing sugar.
Notes
- If you have time, it's worthwhile chilling the rolled up pastry for 15 minutes, prior to cutting into pinwheel slices. Chilling will make slicing the pastry so much easier. But if you haven't got time, don't worry!
- Double the recipe if you're feeding a crowd.
- Line your baking trays, even if they are non-stick. Mincemeat is liable to stick like glue once baked, and you'll have a hard time scrubbing them clean.
- Don't like mincemeat? Make a jam or Nutella version instead.
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts to give the mincemeat pinwheels some crunch.
Anjali
What a fun dessert for the holidays!! Love how easy they were to make - the pre-made pastry dough is a real time saver!
Alisa Infanti
What a great holiday appetizer idea. They look delicious!
Tara
Oh how fun! I absolutely love that pinwheel style. Such a delicious treat and wonderful flavors.
Lima Ekram
Love mincemeat recipes ! Saving this one for Christmas!
Denay DeGuzman
What a yummy recipe! Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I tasted these at a friend's house and they were so good. She shared where she got the recipe (here). Thanks so much!