Mince Pies
Makes : 12
Takes: 45 mins
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a mince pie. For me it has to have flaky pastry, the flakier the better, and the filling can’t be too sweet.
I love to make my own pastry but do as you please and use store bought shortcrust if you prefer. Make an extra batch as these are perfect for gifting and always impressive.
Ingredients
For the dried fruit filling:
300g raisins
1 apple, peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder (or more if you love it)
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder (or more if you love it)
30g unsalted butter
75g tablespoons brown sugar
For the Pastry:
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
150g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
juice of 1 orange
few tablespoons of chilled water
a good pinch of brown sugar, to dust
12 hole muffin tray
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
Start with the dried fruit filling by placing all the ingredients in a small pan and gently heating for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool while you make the pastry.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and rub in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Pour in the orange juice and add a few tablespoons of chilled water.
Mix together to form a dough, being careful not to overwork the pastry.
Dust a flat surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry until a few mm thick.
Stamp out 12 rings using a 10cm cookie cutter. You may need to bring the dough offcuts together and roll again.
Fill the muffin tray with pastry and then scoop in the dried fruit filling.
Use your left over pastry to stamp out shapes to decorate the top.
Dust with a little brown sugar and bake in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown.
Once baked, carefully remove them from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Eat whilst warm with lashings of cream. If you have any extra you can store in an airtight container for upto 7 days.
