Even if you’re too busy or not a confident baker, there is no reason to miss out on home baked fruit mince tarts at Christmas. My easy apple fruit mince filo tarts are a lighter and much easier to make version of the Christmas mince tart.
My fruit mince origin story can be found in the intro to my Homemade Fruit Mince recipe. It’s a recipe I’ve been working on for over three decades. Granny smith apples are a core ingredient in my recipe (leaving in the pun, sorry). I’ve moved the fruit mince filling towards an apple pie vibe with the addition of more granny smith apples in this bake.
The filo pastry shells are super crisp and buttery when they come out of the oven. I recommended eating these tarts on the day you bake them to fully enjoy the crisp buttery filo.
I think the open filo tarts look festive as an open tart but they recipe can be even easier made as filo triangles or cigar rolls if you’re really pressed for time.
Fruit mince filo tarts ingredients
You will need around 600g of my homemade fruit mince recipe.
The number of granny smith apples required is dependent on their size. Six large apples are about right but I always buy a few extras, just in case more apple is needed to make up the net cooked weight (600g).
The filo pastry on the market in Australia is sold either refrigerated or frozen. The number of sheets in each box varies according to the brand but the standard weight of a box of filo is 375g. A box of filo will be enough to make 12 filo tarts, with some sheets leftover. You always want more filo sheets then you need to allow for some wastage.
If frozen, bring the filo pastry to room temperature on the kitchen bench (about 4 hours) and, if refrigerated, leave it out for about 2 hours. You want the filo pastry at room temperature so that it’s pliable. Leave it in its plastic packaging until you are ready to use it. Otherwise it will dry out and become brittle.
Most filo pastry brands are now vegan and my homemade fruit mince recipe is also vegan. I love the taste of buttery filo but swapping in a vegan margarine for the butter is fine.
Fruit mince ingredients
My Christmas fruit mince tarts have no candied peel, as I am not a fan. The candied citrus peel is replaced with the zest and juice of whole lemons and oranges. Naturally dried fruits include raisins, sultanas, currants, dates and prunes. Whole raw almonds are a feature. You don’t peel the granny smith apples. Its low in added sugar as it relies on the natural sugar of the fruits. I believe you should use decent brandy in your homemade fruit mince and you can also swap in rum if you prefer.
And while the fruit mince should mature in the fridge for a few weeks, in a pinch it can be ready to use within a week. You just want to feed it brandy every day and, once the dried fruits plump up, it can be incorporated into your Christmas bakes.
Full details of my method and proportions are available in my homemade fruit mince recipe.
Pre-cook the apple
The granny smith apples are precooked for this easy apple fruit mince filo tart recipe for two reasons. First, they release some of their juice in the precook and this ensures the filling will not end up a soupy wet mess. Secondly, they reduce in volume in advance of the bake, which helps the filling maintain its volume while baking.
Peel and core the apples and cut into roughly 1.5cm slices. I like to cook the apples in batches in a covered container in the microwave. Batch cooking helps ensure they are cooked evenly. Cook each batch in a single layer at 1000w for about 90 seconds and check them frequently. You do not want them mushy, just softened and starting to release juice.
Drain the apples on paper towels to absorb the excess moisture. Once cooled, chop into 1.5cm cubes.
Alternatively, you can bake the apples in the oven. Preheat oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional in a single layer on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. But start checking at 5 minutes.
Apple and fruit mince filling
The goal is to have about 1200g of filling for these apple fruit mince filo tarts. Weigh out 600g of chopped apples and stir them gently into 600g of fruit mince. Set aside and prepare the filo tart cases.
Preparing the filo tart shells
Before opening the filo package, assemble everything you will need in advance:
- Two – six hole Texas muffin tins
- Kitchen scissors
- Ruler
- 250g melted butter
- Silicone pastry brush
- Water spray bottle (optional)
- Clean tea towel
- Package of room temperature filo pastry
- Masking tape and pen (optional)
Make sure you preheat the oven at this stage to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional, with oven rack on the bottom rung. If baking across two racks, have both in the bottom half of the oven.
Forming the tart cases
Each tart case is formed with a square of filo pastry made out of 8 layers of filo brushed with butter. To make the squares, one sheet of filo is brushed with butter and folded in half lengthwise (as it appears in the image above). Next, the length of filo is then cut into three, forming squares of two layers each. Four of those squares are stacked on top with butter brushed between each layer as you stack.
My sheet of filo was 40cm x 28cm. My squares ended up being approximately 14 cm x 13cm. Just about a square! To help me work quickly and more accurately, I create a cutting guide using masking tape on the bench or cutting board (this is optional).
Before starting, melt the butter in the microwave on a medium. I do this in bursts and covered as butter tends to get explosive hot spots as it melts, making an absolute mess of the microwave.
I use a water spray bottle to spray a tea towel lightly to use to cover the filo as I work. This keeps the pastry from drying out. Spray the side of the tea towel not in contact with the pastry and be sparing, otherwise the pastry will start sticking to itself. You can just cover the pastry with a dry tea towel.
Lining the Texas muffin tins
I am pretty generous with the butter as I go stacking my squares of filo. The final brush on the top of the stack will help keep the pastry from cracking while you work with it. Press each stack of 8 sheets of pastry into the Texas muffin tins as you go. Centre the stack over the hole in the tin and press in trying to create even sides. Press the excess pastry to the sides and gently press into the bottom of the hole, right to the edges. Leave the corners of the filo square sitting up over the edge of the muffin tin hole at this stage.
You do want to aim for a square as you have a better chance of keeping your filling contained as the tarts bake. But they certainly don’t need to be perfect squares.
Filling the tart shells
Fill the tart cases with the apple and fruit mince filling to just below the sides of the filo tart shells. Gently press into place and create a small mound in the centre of the tart shell. Each case takes approximately 90-100g of filling.
Gently fold the corners of the filo pastry over the filling, making sure to leave an opening at the top. You want to see a good amount of filling. Brush the top of the filo with butter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filo pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. I check to make sure the tarts are ready to come out by taking the tin out the oven and gently tipping up the tart with a knife or offset spatula to make sure the bottom and sides of the filo tart shell are crisp and golden.
Remove the apple fruit mince filo tarts from oven and let cool to room temperature before removing from the muffin tin.
A breeze to make and enjoy!
Whether you choose to use store bought fruit mince or have some of my homemade fruit mince ready and waiting in the fridge, these apple fruit mince tarts give you all the deliciousness of a home bake with minimal effort.
Easy Apple Fruit Mince Filo Tarts
Equipment
- 2 six hole Texas muffin tins
- Kitchen scissors
- Silicone spatula
- Vegetable peeler
- Tea towel
- Water spray bottle (optional)
- Masking tape and pen (optional)
Ingredients
- 375 g box of filo pastry
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 6-7 large granny smith apples
- 600 g fruit mince – see Homemade Fruit Mince recipe
- Icing sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Leaving filo pastry in its packaging, bring it to room temperature. About 4 hours if frozen and 2 hours if out of the fridge.
Prepare filling:
- Peel and core the apples and cut into roughly 1.5cm slices.
- Cook apple slices in batches at 1000w in a microwave for approximately 90 seconds.
- Cook each batch in a covered microwave container. with the slices in a single layer.
- Check frequently, the apples should be just softened and starting to release juice.
- Drain apples on paper towels to absorb the excess moisture.
- Once cooled, chop apples into 1.5cm cubes.
- Weigh out 600g of chopped apples and stir gently into 600g of fruit mince (1200g of filling).
- Set filling aside and prepare the filo tart cases.
Prepare filo tart shells:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional, with oven rack on the bottom rung.
- Assemble required equipment before opening the filo package.
- Melt the butter in the microwave on a medium in bursts of 10 seconds.
- Open the filo package and keep the filo sheets under a tea towel that has been lightly sprayed with water.
- To make 12 tart shells crate 12 square stacks consisting of 8 squares of buttered filo pastry.
- Each filo square should measure approximately 14 x 14cm. The filo I used ended up being squarish at 14 x 13cm and it worked fine.
- Butter one sheet of filo and fold it in half lengthwise, butter in the centre of the fold.
- Cut the filo crosswise into three squares of two layers each.
- Repeat with another sheet of pastry.
- As you go, stack four of the squares on top each other with butter brushed between layer you stack.
- Press each stack of 8 sheets of pastry into the Texas muffin tins as you go.
- Centre the stack over the hole in the tin and press in gently. Press the excess pastry to the sides of the tin and gently press into the inner edges of the muffin hole.
- Leave the corners of the filo square sitting up over the edge of the muffin tin hole at this stage.
Filing and baking tarts:
- Each case takes approximately 90-100g of filling.
- Fill cases with apple and fruit mince filling to just below the sides of the filo tart shells.
- Gently press into place and create a small mound of filling in the centre of the tart shell.
- Fold the corners of the filo pastry over the filling, making sure to leave an opening.
- Brush the exposed filo with butter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filo pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.
- Remove the apple fruit mince tarts from oven and let cool to room temperature before removing from the muffin tin.
- Dust with icing sugar when cooled (optional).
