Mince Pies

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Mince pies are a huge Christmas tradition in England and they really symbolise the start of Christmas for me. This was my first time making mince pies and I am over the moon with them. If you saw my post last week you would have seen the recipe for the mincemeat. You can always use shop bought but its so easy to make your own so its definitely worth giving it a go. You can assemble these mince pies in advance and freeze them so that on Christmas Eve or day you can bake them from fresh. Don't forget to leave one for Santa before you go to bed on Christmas Eve and you'll be sure to end up with a few extra treats under your tree!

Recipe from BBC Food

Makes 12

You will need-

• 350g mincemeat
• 200g plain sifted flour plus extra for rolling
• 40g golden caster sugar
• 75g ground almonds
• 125g cold unsalted butter
• 1 large free range egg, beaten
• Milk for glazing.

To start pour your flour, sugar, almonds and butter into a food processor and blitz for a few seconds until you get a consistency that resembles breadcrumbs. Pour the egg in and mix for another second or so. If you don't have a food processor then rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers and then stir in the beaten egg.

Pour the mixture onto a work surface and bring it together with your hands. Wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Whilst the dough is chilling pour your mincemeat into a bowl and give it a good mix then butter a 12 hole pie or muffin tin.

After the hour is up roll the dough our thinly on a floured surface and then cut 12 circles that are bigger than your tin circles. Depending on the depth of the holes you may need to make them about 2cm bigger than the holes in the tin. Gently press them into the tin and fill generously with the mincemeat.

 Bring together your leftovers and roll them out. You could either just make solid lids for the mince pies or get a little more creative. For some I cut strips that I laid over the tops like a lattice. I also cut star & heart shapes and place them on top. Be sure the gently press the edges together to seal them. Next brush the tops with a little milk and place the tin in the fridge for 30 minutes. (If you are planning on freezing them skip the glazing, cover with foil and place them straight into the freezer. Be sure to defrost them before you bake and glaze them with the milk before baking.) Pre-heat your oven to 200C and bake the pies for around 20minutes till they are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm with some mulled wine.

Enjoy x