Eccles pie star wreath

Name: Eccles pie star wreath
Yield: Makes 20
Ingredients: 2 x 500g blocks all-butter puff pastry; Plain flour for dusting; 1 large free-range egg, beaten; 1 tbsp demerara sugar; 75g white chocolate (see tip); For the filling:; 150g mincemeat; 75g dried fruit mix; 100g lancashire cheese; You’ll also need…; 1-2 large baking sheets lined with non-stick baking paper; 5-6cm star cutter

Published: 20 Dec 18
Updated: 20 Sep 24

Test kitchen approved

Few aromas are as festive as freshly baked mince pies and this eccles cake-style star wreath is a recipe that you should definitely add to your repertoire.

Got Nutella fans in the house? They’ll love our Christmassy Nutella star wreath.

Makes 20
Hands-on time 20 min, oven time 15 min, plus chilling

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Ingredients

2 x 500g blocks all-butter puff pastry
Plain flour for dusting
1 large free-range egg, beaten
1 tbsp demerara sugar
75g white chocolate (see tip)

For the filling:

150g mincemeat
75g dried fruit mix
100g lancashire cheese

You’ll also need…

1-2 large baking sheets lined with non-stick baking paper; 5-6cm star cutter

Method

For the filling, mix the mincemeat, dried fruit and cheese in a mixing bowl using a fork until well combined (it will turn into a sort of paste).
Roll out each dough block on a lightly floured surface to 2 equal squares roughly 5mm thick. Cut each pastry square in half to make 4 rectangles. Transfer 2 rectangles to the lined baking sheets. Use a palette knife to spread them with the mincemeat mixture, then top each with another pastry rectangle. Use a rolling pin to gently roll over the top of the pastry to seal the layers together. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Lift the baking paper and pastries off the baking sheet and stamp out 20 stars using the cutter. Grease the baking sheet (you may need 2, depending on the size), then use a palette knife to transfer the stars to the greased sheet, spacing them apart to allow for spreading. Brush all over with beaten egg, then sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake the stars for 15 minutes or until golden and well risen. Leave to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then use a palette knife to transfer the eccles pies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of just simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and leave to melt gently. Once the eccles pies have cooled, arrange them in a wreath shape, drizzle over the melted chocolate and serve.

Recipe from December 2019 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Per eccles pie star

Calories: 263kcals
Fat: 15.2g (7.8g saturated)
Protein: 4.9g
Carbohydrates: 25.9g (10.1g sugars)
Fibre: 1.2g
Salt: 0.6g

delicious. tips

To add extra colour and flavour to the drizzle, we used blond chocolate (white chocolate with caramelised sugar added) from M&S. Valrhona does an excellent one, too. If you can’t get it, use good quality white chocolate.

Cook any offcuts to make mini mince pie canapés.
Keep the decorated mince pies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or freeze once baked (before decorating), then defrost and refresh in a hot oven before decorating and serving.
Eccles cakes are traditionally served with lancashire cheese, so you could serve this wreath with your festive cheeseboard.

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Eccles pie star wreath

Ingredients

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