These crumbly ginger mince pies have a gorgeous filling made from mincemeat and ginger conserve, and are topped with marzipan – perfect for when you want something just a little different to a traditional mince pie.

I got the marzipan topping idea from a Mary Berry Christmas programme – it’s brilliant; the marzipan goes wonderfully crunchy when it’s baked in the oven. Give it a try in this recipe.

I love ginger too, it’s one of my favourite spices and candied stem ginger is just the best thing to snack on. Try it out – these are delicious, rustic and gooey.

If you’re going to make your own shortcrust pastry, that’s great – here’s the recipe I use all the time. But you can easily use shop bought too if you’re tight on time.

Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations

Shortcrust pastry – as mentioned above, you can either use shop bought or make your own. I’ve also trialled these mine pies with puff pastry and it worked very well!
Mincemeat – you can pick your favourite, but a traditional one works best so that the flavour of the ginger really stands out.

Ginger conserve – this can be found in most supermarkets, but if you’re struggling to find it it’s easy to make your own. You could also switch for 150g finely chopped crystallised ginger.
Marzipan – optional, but delicious.

Top Tips

Don’t overwork your pastry Try not to handle your pastry too much. Overworking will stop it from being light and crumbly.

Use a non stick tray To absolutely guarantee avoiding the heartbreak of having your mince pies stick, use a non stick bun tray.
If you choose not to use marzipan Top with a small round of pastry instead to make sure that the mincemeat doesn’t burn in the oven.