Christmas Mince Pies

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 100 g raisins
• 50 g sultanas
• 50 g black currants
• 50 g candied peel
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 1/3 cup chopped glace cherries
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 25 -50 ml brandy
• 500 ml cake flour, loosely measured
• 50 ml cornflour
• 50 ml icing sugar
• 175 g butter
• 1 egg
• 2 ml vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 quick fruit mincemeat:.
• 2 combine all ingredients and set aside for flavours to infuse.
• 3 pastry:.
• 4 sift flour, cornflour, and icing sugar.
• 5 rub in the butter.
• 6 beat egg and vanilla together then add, mixing well.
• 7 knead into a ball without overhandling the pastry.
• 8 roll out thinly on a floured board and cut into 3" rounds.
• 9 reroll offcuts until all the pastry is used.
• 10 place rounds in a patty pan, place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of each pastry round and cover with second pastry round.
• 11 press edges together with the prongs of a fork and prick each top twice.
• 12 bake at 350f for 18-20 minutes or until pale gold.
• 13 leave to cool slightly before removing to cooking rack.
• 14 dust lightly with icing sugar.
• 15 cooks note - if you don't have a patty pan, place the pies on a cookie sheet rather than in a muffin tray, which is too deep.