Merry Christmas everyone! I know it’s a bit late in the game for a mince pies recipe, especially given that I’m on my third batch of these bad boys I really should’ve gotten round to putting this up earlier! But there’s nothing better than a homemade mince pie straight out of the oven so it can’t hurt to have a useful reference point for future 😊
Paul Hollywood of Great British Bake-off fame is the genius behind this one, and as far as I’m concerned anything to do with bake off can do no wrong. But seriously, I tend to find a different mince pies recipe every year and this year I think I’ve found The One. What makes these good is the sweet, thick and buttery pastry, and without the faff of making your own mincemeat you still put your own stamp on it by adding a delicious bit of tangerine and apple. It went down well at work and my dad has been raving about the pastry. Personally my favourite type of mince pie is one of the mini ones with a star as the lid, just slightly over-filled so that the mincemeat has just slightly spilled out of its little cup. I’ve made a few different types to keep everyone happy, but for me it’s ultimately all about the rustic and homemade look. The is especially helpful when you’re without a rolling pin like I was at home (the mincemeat jar and some cling film actually worked a treat!), or when at my parents house we didn’t have the right size circular cutters (I’d recommend the use of a glass in this situation!). Either way, they come out tasting pretty great. I’ve found this makes enough for around normal sized 18 mince pies.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 375g plain flour
- 125g sugar
- 250g butter
- 1 medium egg, plus another 1 for the glaze
Filling
- 1x 410g of mincemeat (Classic Robinsons works great)
- 1x tangerine, finely grated zest and chopped (skin removed)
- 1/2 apple, chopped into small squares (around 1x1cm)
- Icing sugar (to decorate)
How to make it…
1. First, make the pastry by gently rubbing together the flour, sugar, butter and egg, making sure not to overwork the pastry. Then cover in cling film and leave in the fridge for 30mins.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C. Prepare the filling by adding the flesh and zest of the tangerine and the apple pieces to the mincemeat. This is also a good time to grease the muffin tray with any remaining butter.
3. Next, roll out the pastry on a well floured surface to a thickness of 3-4mm. To make the pastry disks for the base, I used a glass of around 8cm diameter, but check what works for the muffin tray that you’re using. Press these into the muffin tray and fill with mincemeat, leaving a little space at the top to prevent too much overflow.
4. Then, cut out another smaller disk or use a star cutter for the lid. You may need to re-roll the dough to do so, so remember to use plenty of flour!
5. Beat the second egg and use a brush to glaze the mince pies, adding a final sprinkle of caster sugar as well.
6. Bake the mince pies in the oven for 20mins and then leave to cool on a drying rack.
7. Serve with a sprinkling of icing sugar, preferably alongside some mulled wine.
Merry Christmas everybody!
From Paul Hollywood at the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_mince_04604
Fortnightly Recipe 