No Suet Mincemeat Pinwheels

An easy recipe for Vegetarian No-Suet Mincemeat Pinwheels, lighter than mince pies for a Christmas buffet table. Prepare them in advance and have some holiday party food ready at the last minute.

Mincemeat always causes confusion with French friends (especially my husband, who can never get his head around this one), as they tend to think it's savoury and filled with minced beef. 'Mince' in mincemeat goes back to the Middle Ages, apparently, and refers to something being chopped up finely. In this case, dried fruits.

It's true that beef suet is still traditionally used for mincemeat with the dried fruits and spices but I have to admit that I prefer it without the suet and replaced with butter.

This recipe uses the No-Suet Vegetarian Mincemeat Recipe. It's so quick and easy to make plus there's no need to mature it for long.

Puff Pastry Mincemeat Pinwheels

Pinwheels perhaps look difficult to make but they're so quick and easy - especially as I buy ready-made puff pastry (always pick 'pure butter'). Pinwheels are great for savoury apéritif bites using pesto or tapenade. Make them with this nettle and toasted walnut pesto.

However, this no-suet mincemeat was just perfect for an impromptu Christmas party for a few teenagers coming around for a break from exam pressure last weekend and to get into the festive spirit.

Freezing Puff Pastry

The best part of this recipe is that it's easy to prepare the first three steps in advance (even 2-3 weeks in advance!) and have it already rolled at the ready in the freezer (but ensure that you're not using frozen puff pastry in that case. NEVER re-freeze defrosted puff pastry). When ready to use, just leave it out for a few minutes so that it's easier to cut into slices with a sharp knife - then bake!

How to Make Puff Pastry Mincemeat Pinwheels

No-Suet Mincemeat Pinwheels

Jill Colonna

If you're looking for a much lighter version of mince pies this Christmas, then here's your answer: Mincemeat Pinwheels. What's more, they're no-suet mincemeat pinwheels so suitable for vegetarians.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Drinks, teatime

Cuisine British

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

• 250 g (9oz) Pure Butter Puff Pastry (ready-made) (ensure it's thinly rolled)
• 180 g (6oz) Vegetarian Mincemeat (see recipe link in NOTES or good quality shop-bought)
• 2 tablespoon apple or orange juice
• 2 teaspoon icing (confectioner's) sugar optional, for dusting

Instructions

 

• Using a food processor or a hand blender, liquidise the mincemeat adding the apple (or orange) juice in order to make it easily spreadable.
• Unroll the chilled puff pastry, keeping it on its parchment paper.  Spread on a THIN (this is important, otherwise it could be messy later!) layer of mincemeat evenly over the pastry.
• Carefully roll the pastry over on itself, then wrap up the thick roll in the parchment paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  I chill it in the freezer for 15 minutes, which makes it so much easier to cut later. At this point you can leave it in the freezer for up to 3 weeks (As long as you cut slices quickly, there's no problem about putting the spiral log in the freezer straight after it. Seal in a zip-lock freezer bag).
• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6/180°C fan.
• Using a good sharp knife, cut slices of about 2 cm and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment/baking paper or a Silpat.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and dust with icing sugar.

Notes

Recipe for no-suet mincemeat.

TIP: If using frozen puff pastry, defrost first then simply chill it in the fridge before slicing the pinwheels and bake - do not re-freeze. Otherwise, it's so handy to freeze fresh puff pastry UNCOOKED for up to 2-3 weeks, as the recipe specifies above.

Keyword no-suet mincemeat spirals, vegetarian mincemeat pinwheels