Mince Pies

Less-mince-pies-3
Makes 16 Mince pies
Prep Time 30 mins
Cooking Time 20 mins

Ingredients

250g Plain (all purpose flour)
125g Low fat butter spread (I used "I can’t Believe it’s not Butter") cut into small pieces
50g Caster Sugar
Zest of one orange
Juice of one orange
170g Mincemeat (any brand will do)
50g Glace cherries, finely chopped
25g Cranberries, finely chopped (shop bought in packet)
1 Apple, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
15g Flaked almonds
Milk or beaten egg for glazing

Less-mince-pie-mix
Method

Mix the cherries, cranberries, apple and flaked almonds into the mincemeat, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Meanwhile make the pastry
Sieve the flour into a large bowl
Add the sugar and low fat spread
Lightly rub the spread into the flour and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs
Add the orange zest and finally the orange juice a little at a time to bind it all together in to a ball
Place in a bowl and cover with cling film, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to rest
Lightly grease a 16 hole bun tin
After 30 minutes the pastry is ready to roll out
Sieve a little flour onto a clean work surface
Cut one third of the pastry off and set aside
Form the remaining two thirds back into a ball and roll out fairly thinly
Cut 16 bases out and lay in the bun tins, pressing gently into place
Roll out the last third of pastry and using a slightly smaller pastry cutter, cut out the 16 tops
Spoon a teaspoonful of mincemeat into each pastry case
Brush a little water around the edges and press the lids on top
Brush the pies with milk or beaten egg
Make one or two slits in the top to allow the steam to escape
Sprinkle a little cater sugar over the top
Bake in a pre heated oven 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 for 15 to 20 minutes

Topping

Cook's tips

Equipment

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