What could make a traditional mince pie better? Well, the addition of cheese of course, meltingly delicious Brie goes beautifully with mincemeat. So bring those two classics together in these amazingly festive mince pies with Brie and walnuts.
The inspiration
Well, it was easy really. I adore popping a wheel of Brie of Camembert into the Aga with a dollop of my homemade vegetarian mincemeat
Better still, now I use my Christmas pudding marmalade in my baked Brie, it’s delicious!my lovely Christmas pudding marmalade on top.
The mincemeat/marmalade, whatever your topping warms up and simply dances with that gooey cheese.
Dip in some fresh breadsticks and you have the ultimate Christmas appetizer.
But hey, mince pies have that gorgeous fruity centre so why not add Brie right in the middle of a mince pie and you get an easy to hold (and eat) version of the classic baked brie!
Think of the sweet/savoury combo of eating a slice of Christmas cake with a hunk of cheese (yes, it’s a very British thing!), or cheese with dried fruits on a sharing platter and you’ll get the concept of my amazing brie filled mince pie recipe!
Ingredients for mince pies with Brie and walnuts
Now you can easily make your own shortcrust pastry for thesse mince pies. In fact just follow my mince pie pastry recipe to do so.
However, it’s Christmas and we are often pushed for time so don’t feel bad about whipping open a pack of ready-rolled store bought pastry to make these delicious mince pies with Brie and walnuts.
The cheese – oh that gorgeous melty cheese, I’ve used Brie for my mince pies. I just love the creamy almost soft flavour of this cheese and it goes beautifully with the mincemeat.
Walnuts – yes I like to add that most festive of nuts, the walnut to add some extra flavour and crunch to my mince pies.
Cheese choices
If for some reason you are not a fan of Brie (really, there are non Brie people out there!) then you could opt for Camembert instead.
Goat’s cheese would also work here if you go for one of the softer varieties. You could even go for a soft melty blue viened cheese.
Be careful that you don’t go too strong on the cheese-front. You want to taste the mincemeat in these delicius little pies.
How to make Brie and walnut mince pies
This recipe couldn’t be easier. Isn’t it great having quick and easy recipes in your back pocket at Christmas. People can pop round any time and you can whip up these amazing mince pies with Brie and walnuts in about 20 minutes tops!
If you are making the shortcrust pastry get that done first. Otherwise simply unroll a good quality pack of shortcrust pastry and let’s get cracking.
Break up the walnuts and lightly toast them in a dry pan for just a minute. You will know when they’re done as they will emit that goegeouos nutty aroma and start to turn golden.
You have to watch them like a hawk as they can so easily catch and burn. This is no time to answer your phone or pop to the loo!
Grease a 12 hole baking tin if you are doing as I am and making old-fashioned small shallow mince pies. I’ve never been a huge fan of those modern deep filled mince pies, I like my mince pies on the small dellicate side. You go with what suits you.
Press your pastry lightly into the pie holes and place a teaspoon of your chosen mincemeat filling into each.
Now sinply add about half a teaspoon of Brie on top lightly pressing it in to the mincemeat just a little.
Top with some crumbled toasted walnuts and add the tops to your mince pies.
Glaze with a little milk or beaten egg for a nice golden finish. Pop your Brie filled mince pies into the oven for 15 minutes.
Cool just a little before sprinkling the pies with icing sugar.
How many mince pies does this recipe make?
I got 12 mince pies with Brie and walnuts from this recipe. Remember, i use an oldfashioned shallow pie tray not a deep one.
How long do these mince pies keep?
Your Brie and walnut mince pies will keep for up to a week in an airtight tin. Just warm them gently in the oven prior to serving to get that Brie all lovely and melty again.
You can freeze ytour mince pies for up to 3 months.
How to serve Brie and Walnut Mince Pies
I love to serve the cheese filled mince pies with a glass of mulled wine. Come on, what could possibly be more festive that that?
You can also serve these Christmas mince pies at tea time.
Add these amazingly grown-up mince pies to a festive sharing platter as they are the perfect sweet/savoury combo.
Serve your mince pies with Brie and walnuts as an after dinner nibble with a glass of the festive spirit on the side, cheers!
One bite of these deliciously fruity and creamy, gooey Brie filled mince pies and you will be transported to festive foodie heaven I promise you.
Here are some other ideas for fillings for your mince pies to make them that little bit special this Christmas.
Looking for more fun festive bakes? Then check these out before you go;
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Mince Pies With Brie And Walnuts
Ingredients
- 375 g shortcrust pastry ready rolled is just fine
- 3 tbsp walnuts
- 12 tsp mincemeat
- 6 tsp Brie
- 1 tbsp milk to glaze the mincepies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C and grease a 12 hole shallow pie tin
- Break up the walnuts and toast in a dry pan for justy a minute till they turn golden and emit that lovely nutty aroma, tip out of pan immediately to stop the cooking
- Cut out circles in the pastry to fit your pie tins and fill each with a tsp of mincemeat and 1/2 tsp of brie plus a sprinkling of the toasted walnuts
- Add lids to your mincepies, glaze with the milk and bake for approximately 15 minutes till golden
- Cool a little and sprinkle with icing sugar
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