If there’s one time of year you can treat yourself to some decedent desserts, it’s Christmas! Mince Pies are a favoured inclusion at any Christmas gathering. Satisfy your senses with these deliciously tasty and aromatic masterpieces.
Mince Pies – You’ll need:
Filling:
- 360g dried mixed fruit
- 200g brown sugar
- 50g slivered almonds, finely chopped
- 1 x green apple, peeled and grated
- 40g melted butter
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 3 tbsp grated lemon rind
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 x egg, whisked
Pastry:
- 300g plain flour
- 70g caster sugar
- 160g chilled butter, chopped
- 1 x egg yolk
- 2 tbsp iced water
Finely chop half the mixed fruit and place in a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, almond, apple, butter, brandy, lemon rind, lemon juice, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and the remaining mixed fruit. Stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight, stirring occasionally. Once the fruit has soaked overnight, transfer the mixture to a fine sieve over a bowl and stir to remove excess liquid.
To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and water, and process until the mixture just starts to come together in large clumps. Turn onto a clean work surface, shape into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to rest.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Use round pastry cutter to cut 20 discs from the pastry. Use a star-shaped pastry cutter to cut 20 stars from the remaining pastry.
Line twenty muffin pans with pastry discs and divide the fruit mince among the pastry cases. Top with pastry stars. Brush the stars lightly with the egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden. Set aside in the pans for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For more creative Christmas cooking ideas check out our Pinterest page!