Christmas Dessert: Star Brownie & Mincemeat Tart
Rich, dark chocolate brownie with beautifully spiced mincemeat all mixed up and served in a Jus-Rol Shortcrust Pastry casing – this is a festive tart destined to be the star of the show. And if you like to prep ahead, you’ll be glad to know that this lovely dessert can be baked, cooled then frozen for up to one month.
Difficulty: Moderate
Bake Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8 Serving
Ingredients:
1 x 320g Jus-Rol™ Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry Sheet
100g unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
150g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium eggs, beaten
75g plain flour
200g mincemeat
1 teaspoon icing sugar, for dusting
Equipment required:
Rolling pin
Knife
33cm x 11cm fluted tart tin
Fork
Baking paper
Baking beans
Large bowl
Saucepan
Electric mixer
Teaspoon
Star cookie cutters
Pastry brush
Method:
- Remove the pastry from the fridge 45 minutes before unrolling to make sure it doesn’t break and crack when lining the tart tin. Preheat the oven to 200C, 180C fan, gas 6.
- Unroll the pastry, keeping it on the paper it was rolled in. Roll the pastry out a little thinner to make a slightly larger rectangle. Cut away a 5cm wide strip from one long side and reserve for the pastry stars. Use the rest of the pastry to line a 32cm x 10cm tart tin, allowing the excess to hang over the edges of the tin. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork. Chill the tart pastry case for 15 minutes. Chill the reserved strip of pastry until required.
- Run a rolling pin firmly over the tin edges to trim off the excess pastry. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and beans and continue to cook for a further 8-10 minutes until crisp and pale golden. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4.
- Meanwhile, place the butter and chocolate into a large bowl on top of a pan of gently simmering water. Leave for 10 minutes, to melt. Stir to combine and remove the bowl from the pan. Beat in the sugar, vanilla extract and most of the beaten eggs, reserving 1 teaspoon of the beaten eggs to brush the stars. Sift over the flour and add the mincemeat and stir. Spoon into the pastry case and level the surface.
- Use small star cutters to stamp out star shapes from the reserved pastry strip. Brush with the reserved beaten egg and place onto the brownie mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until firm to touch.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove the tart from the tin and serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar.
Tips:
If the pastry is starting to crack when unrolling, leave for another 10 minutes and try again.
This is a great dessert to prepare ahead for Christmas. Allow to cool completely then wrap in foil and freeze for up to one month. Once defrosted, warm in a hot oven for 8-10 minutes.
Add a bit of extra sparkle to this festive dessert with a dusting of edible gold spray just before serving.
More Delicious Christmas Desserts
Chocolate Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
Loaded with irresistible chocolate spread, our pull-apart puff pastry Christmas tree is made for sharing. With only four ingredients, it's a simple showstopper you can whip in no time on the big day!
Festive Mince Pie Twists
Nice and easy to make and a wonderfully light way to end a big meal, our twist on traditional mince pies is a winner. These are great served with ice cream, crème fraiche or whipped cream and pair nicely with a hot chocolate or after-dinner coffee.
Why do we use mincemeat at Christmas?
While mince pies are now a sweet treat, they have a long – and much meatier – history. Christmas pies have been around for centuries and back in 1413, King Henry V served a mincemeat pie at his coronation, which helped boost the popularity of the spiced meat and fruit pie. The spices, seasoning and pastry helped protect the filling and keep pies fresh for longer, making them a perfect winter dish.
Can you freeze pastry desserts?
You can absolutely freeze pastry desserts. Most will last up to a month in the freezer, which means you can get some of your cooking out of the way before Christmas rolls around. Some pies are perfect for freezing uncooked while other pastry desserts can be cooked then cooled and frozen. If you’re freezing unbaked pies or tarts, be sure to place them on greaseproof paper to avoid them sticking to the container – or each other.
Baked Pears with Mulled Wine Syrup
If you’re hoping to impress your guests this year, we recommend having a go at these delightful baked pears. Each is poached in a delicious blend of flavours before being wrapped in Jus-Rol Puff Pastry and baked to perfection.
Snowflake Pull Apart Chocolate & Cinnamon Bread
A great dish for sharing, this beautiful bread keeps things simple with two packs of Jus-Rol Cinnamon Swirls, dark chocolate, an egg and icing sugar for decoration. It makes a brilliantly satisfying dessert and has a real festive feel.
How do you stop pastry from cracking?
If your pastry sheets are cracking at the edges or aren’t rolling well, there’s a good chance they are still too cold from the fridge. Let your pastry come up to temperature before getting started and don’t forget to dust with a little flour. If your pastry sheets are too sticky, on the other hand, they may have heated up too much and can be popped back in the fridge to cool down and make them easier to work with.
How do you give pastry a nice golden glow?
To give your pastry a rich, golden glow and a nice shine after baking, be sure to brush it with an egg wash. This is made up of one large egg and two tablespoons of water, beaten until combined. Apply with a bristled or silicon brush just before popping in the oven and voila! A nice golden glow to your pastry creations.