These meltingly delicious mincemeat crumble bars are a wonderful alternative to more traditional mince pie recipes. With a golden crumble topping, fruity, spicy filling and a buttery, biscuit base, my fail-safe mincemeat crumble bar recipe is so much easier than pastry pies, and tastier too!
Mincemeat crumble bars
If you like a mince pie, you are going to love these mincemeat crumble bars. With a fragrant sweet-spiced fruit filling sandwiched between a biscuity base and luxuriously buttery crumble top, they have all the qualities of a good mince pie with the bonus of an extra layer of contrasting texture. They are also easier to make.
See also
- Mincemeat flapjacks make a tasty, sustaining snack to see you through until dinner time
- Top all sorts of fruity desserts with this lovely mincemeat ice cream
- Got leftover mincemeat? See all my mincemeat recipes to use up that jar in the fridge .
Have you ever struggled with short pastry? The room is too hot, the pastry won’t roll or becomes overworked by the time you get to cutting out the lids, it’s too thick or too crumbly or too hard…
Forget all that. This mincemeat crumble bar recipe makes a delicious alternative to mince pies. Crumble topping has more flavour than pastry, and is easy. What’s more, I’m about to make it even easier. With my melted butter method for crumble, there’s no need to rub in.
If you don’t believe me, I promise I have been making crumble with melted butter rather than rubbing in for at least 20 years. Once you have tried it like this, you won’t go back. It’s quicker than the traditional way and absolutely fuss free.
So with one bowl and five ingredients, his recipe for mincemeat crumble slices keeps effort, mess and washing up to a minimum and they’re so moreish that no one will miss the leaky pies. They’re crumbly but not too crumbly, sweet but not too sweet, oaty but not worthy … you get the idea.
The pressed crumble base is something between shortbread and an oaty cookie, the topping buttery and light, and with your favourite mincemeat, these are the perfect treat to serve with the mulled wine or even leave out for Santa.
Why make mincemeat crumble bars
- one bowl and just 5 ingredients!
- a gorgeous variation on the more usual pie
- so much easier than making pastry
- less mess in the kitchen
Mincemeat crumble bars – ingredients
- Mincemeat – I use a classic supermarket mincemeat. I find some of the fancy ones over spiced, but use what you love. I’ll show you some ideas for adding extra spice and flavour if that’s what you like.
Helen’s Pro Tip – Buying Mincemeat
Always read the ingredients list! This recipe will work best with a mincemeat that is rich in vine fruit, about a third sultanas, raisins and currants. All too often there is more of the cheaper apple than vine fruit.
Look out for ingredient splitting, where an ingredient is listed twice, for instance apple pulp and apple purée. Some versions are more than a 25 % apple puree. That’s not what you want!
- Plain flour – you don’t want self raising for this recipe
- Butter – either salted, or use unsalted and add a pinch of salt to balance the biscuit base.
- Sugar – Caster sugar for preference. I like golden caster sugar for the extra flavour.
- Oats – jumbo or regular rolled porridge oats (not pinhead oats)
A note on mincemeat
Native English speakers will be familiar with mincemeat but this is the Internet and I know a lot of readers have English as an additional language.
So just in case anyone is confused by the term, mincemeat is not minced/ground meat (mince) but a sweet filling made with sultanas, raisins and currants with spices, apple and a little fat. Sometimes it contains animal fat but increasingly, most of the mincemeat in the stores is suitable for vegetarians.
How to make mincemeat crumble bars – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this mincemeat crumble bars recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Put the butter in a large bowl and melt in the microwave. I do low power in bursts of 30 seconds.
Step Two – Add the flour, oats and sugar to the melted butter. If the butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt too.
If your oats are very finely milled, keep a spoonful of the flour back for now. This will help to avoid the mixture becoming too dry, and you can add it back a little at a time once you have mixed the ingredients.
Step Three – Use a large metal spoon and stir until you have a crumbly mixture that sticks together in small clumps when pressed against the side of the bowl. It shouldn’t be sticky.
If you held back any flour, you can now add it until you are happy with the consistency.
Step Four – Line an 8” x 8” (20 cm) baking pan with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. I find that binder clips are really useful for holding it in place as shown in the photo. Alternatively, parchment lined with foil (which you use parchment side up) is excellent, as it stays in place.
Helens Fuss Free Tip
There is enough butter in the mixture for the lined pan not to need greasing. There is no need to make work for ourselves!
Put about two thirds of the crumble mixture in the pan and press it down with the back of a large metal spoon, spreading it evenly to fill the edges and corners. You need to do this properly to get a good result and it will take several minutes. Really press the crumble down so that it is compacted and smooth.
Transfer to the fridge and leave to chill for an hour. Do not skip this stage as it is essential for a base that will hold together properly.
Step Five – Spread the mincemeat evenly across the base, making sure you get into the edges and corners, so that the end pieces won’t be short of filling. If your jar of mincemeat is a little bit bigger than the 400 g specified, you can use the whole thing.
Step Six – Use your fingers to press the crumble mix into a traditional crumble texture so that you have small pieces holding together.
Then sprinkle evenly over the bake. I don’t worry about working this too closely into the edges because I quite like to have a little bit of chewy mincemeat at the edge. Lightly press the crumble down with the back of a spoon.
Step Seven – Bake at Gas Mark 5 /375 °F/170 °C fan for 25–30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the mincemeat has bubbled up a little at the edge. Check after 20 minutes and don’t let the topping burn.
Step Eight – Allow to cool completely before slicing your mincemeat crumble bars. I prefer to leave it overnight.
Use a big heavy knife and cut slowly. 16 squares is perfect (a 4 x 4 grid) but for large pieces, cut into 9. The bake will crumble a little as you cut. I think that the crumbles are the cook’s perk, so enjoy them!
Serving suggestion
This mincemeat crumble bar recipe makes the perfect alternative to mince pies, so serve it accordingly but don’t feel you have to save this recipe for the holidays.
Enjoy with a cup of tea for a teatime treat at any time of year, or with the mulled wine and carols.
Warm for a few seconds in the microwave for a dessert and serve with brandy butter, custard, or vanilla or mincemeat ice cream.
If you are feeling fancy, you can sprinkle with some edible gold glitter or brush on a little gold lustre dust for effect – or sprinkle over a little icing sugar.
Variations
- Add a pinch of spice to the crumble mixture. A little ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice or a grating of nutmeg will work.
- For a wholefood twist, you could replace 2 tbsp of the oats with seeds such as chia and flax. If you do this, you may find you need to add a little more flour to get a good crumble consistency, as they will not absorb fat as the oats do.
- Add some drained stewed apple for an apple and mincemeat slice.
- Add a thin layer of jam for extra fruity flavour.
Storage
Once cold, the mincemeat crumble slices can be kept in in an airtight tin and will last for several days. I find it easiest to lift the corners of the baking parchment and transfer the whole thing to a square tin.
Freezer – Pack the cold crumble bars into an airtight box and freeze for up to three months.
Hints and tips
- Chilling the base before baking matters. You don’t want your bars to fall apart.
- Likewise, you really need to compact the crumble mix into the pan well when making the base.
- Cool the bake completely before cutting.
- Because there are no eggs, this recipe is scalable to any pan size.
- You can be a bit flexible with the mincemeat. I have said 400 g but anything between 350 g and 420 g will be fine, so use the whole jar. There is no point at all in leaving a dessert spoon of mincemeat to crystalize in the bottom of the pot.
FAQs
It depends on the mincemeat you choose. There certainly shouldn’t be any meat as such but more traditional recipes may contain suet. Most commercial versions now use vegetarian suet and are suitable for vegans.
Some versions contain nuts, though, so if you are allergic you will need to check.
In the UK, this seems to have faded out around the mid 19th century. In the US, there evidence that it continued into the early 20th century.
If you open a jar of mincemeat and find it a disappointing mush, you can stir in a little extra vine fruit before using it, add some quartered glace cherries or even flaked almonds. A dessert spoon of your favourite liqueur will add flavour as long as the mix is not too liquid.
Then make a note not to buy that brand again!
More alternative seasonal desserts
- Christmas pudding ice cream bombe – a lighter, fresher holiday dessert
- Easy Christmas cheesecake – no bake, no fuss, no problem
- Chocolate baileys ice cream bombe – a stunning centrepiece from a no-churn recipe
- Winter spiced orange pavlova – glorious results, easy to make
Mincemeat Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 175 g (0.75 cups) salted butter
- 225 g (1.8 cups) plain flour
- 110 g (1.4 cups) rolled oats
- 80 g (0.6 cups) caster sugar
- 400 g (1 jar) mincemeat
Instructions
- Put the butter in a large bowl and melt in the microwave on low power, in bursts of 30 seconds.175 g salted butter
- Add the flour, oats and sugar to the melted butter.225 g plain flour, 110 g rolled oats, 80 g caster sugar
- Use a large metal spoon and stir until you have a crumbly mixture that sticks together in small clumps when pressed against the side of the bowl.
- Put about two thirds of the crumble mixture in a tray lined with baking parchment and press it down with the back of a large metal spoon, spreading it evenly to fill the edges and corners.
- Chill for an hour in the fridge.
- Spread the mincemeat evenly across the base, making sure you get into the edges and corners, so that the end pieces won’t be short of filling.400 g mincemeat
- Use your fingers to press the crumble mix into a traditional crumble texture. Sprinkle over the mincemeat creating an even covering. Lightly press the crumble in with the back of a spoon.
- Bake at Gas Mark 5 /375 °F/170 °C fan for 25–30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the mincemeat has bubbled up a little at the edge.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Chilling the base before baking matters. You don’t want your bars to fall apart.
- Likewise, you really need to compact the crumble mix into the pan well when making the base.
- Cool the bake completely before cutting.
- Because there are no eggs, this recipe is scalable to any pan size.
- You can be a bit flexible with the mincemeat. I have said 400 g but anything between 350 g and 420 g will be fine, so use the whole jar. There is no point at all in leaving a dessert spoon of mincemeat to crystalize in the bottom of the pot.
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