Join our resident baker Barb Kirby and learn some new yummy recipes. Book a ticket to this online event and follow Barb’s instructions on the video. Before you know it you will have yourself some fabulous Christmas Mince Pies! Follow the link HERE for tickets to this FREE event. Let us know how you get on with the bake!
Ingredients
375g Plain Flour
260g softened unsalted . If you are vegetarian, use block margarine.
125g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large egg, plus one beaten egg for glazing.
1 large, or two small jars of mincemeat. (This is sweet, not savoury) If you cannot buy it in your country, you can easily make it from online recipes.
Method
Put flour and softened butter in a bowl and rub together with tips of fingers (keep your hands cool) until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add sugar and stir/mix/pulse once until evenly distributed through the mix.
Add large beaten egg and stir until the mixture comes together. If it doesn’t, add a few teaspoons (5ml) water, one at a time.
Take out of the bowl, cover in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Butter/grease two bun tins. Turn the oven on to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7.
When chilled, roll out to 3mm thick on a lightly floured table top or board. If you don’t have a rolling pin, improvise with a water- filled bottle that doesn’t have ridges.
Using a round, preferably fluted( crinkly) cutter (around 10cm diameter) cut 16 bases and put them in the bun tins.
Re-Roll pastry that’s left and cut out lids. These can be smaller circles, or, as its Christmas, stars, or strips or even Christmas trees.
Put a teaspoon of mincemeat in the bases. Make sure the bases are only half full, or just over as the mince can bubble out because of the high sugar content.
Brush the edges of the pie bases with beaten egg, add the top and brush the tops with beaten egg to make a glaze, and sprinkle the tops with caster sugar. If the tops are sealed, make a small slit in them. You don’t need to do this with stars or trees.
At this stage, you can freeze the pies in the tins and take out to store when they are frozen. Bake for 15-20 minutes (18-25 if frozen) until golden . Leave in the tins for five minutes before removing them carefully and dusting with a bit of icing sugar if required.