A classic mince pie is delicious, but you don't have to stick to a traditional top. Why not add Christmassy star shapes or try a delicious crumble or meringue topping.
Ingredients
Pastry
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar
30g ground almonds
150g butter
1 medium egg
Filling
410g jar of mincemeat
2 satsumas, peeled and segmented or small tin of mandarin segments
1 eating apple, cored and finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
Crumble
50g plain flour
Caster Sugar
Rolled Oats
35g cold butter - diced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Meringue
3 medium egg whites
130g caster sugar
To Finish
Caster or icing sugar for sprinkling
Method
In a large bowl mix the flour and icing sugar together. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the ground almonds and stir.
Add the egg and work into the mixture with your fingers, bringing it together to form a soft dough. You may need to add a drop a water if the pastry is a little dry.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Flatten into a disc with you fingers and wrap in cling film. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Put the mincemeat into a bowl. Add the satsumas, chopped apple and lemon zest. Stir well and leave to macerate for a few hours or overnight.
Heat your oven 200°C. Lightly butter a 12-hole muffin tin.
Roll out your sweet pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface, to a 2-3mm thickness. Don’t worry if the pastry breaks or sticks, just press it together and re-roll. With a 10cm pastry cutter, cut 12 discs and use these to line the muffin tins. Use a 7.5-8cm cutter to cut 12 smaller discs for the pie lids. Re-roll your pastry as necessary to cut enough discs.
Put about 2 tsp of the mincemeat into each pastry case. Brush the edges of the smaller discs with eggwash and place over the mincemeat. Press the pastry edges together with your fingertips to seal. Brush the mince pies with a little more eggwash and sprinkle with a little caster sugar. Make a hole in the top of each pie with a small, sharp knife or the tip of a skewer.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Carefully remove the mince pies from the tins and leave on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold, dusted with a little more caster sugar or icing sugar.