I baked my second batch of these yesterday and, having tasted the results, I have changed my mind in that from now on I will definitely be using this recipe for my mince pies. They are delicious. Here it is, for those who would like it (and also that I can keep my favourite recipes in one place). This makes 18 mince pies.
You will need:
225g Plain flour
140g Butter
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
30g Caster sugar
55g Ground almonds
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of cold water
Around 400g mincemeat (I use a stores own luxury brand)
Brandy
To make the pastry, sieve the flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and ground almonds, then mix together using the egg yolk and water to form a soft dough (I use the back of a fork to do this). Finally, knead lightly, then cover and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Empty the mincemeat into a small bowl and stir in one (or two 😆) tablespoons of brandy. Mix well.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out approximately 18 rounds and stars. Place the rounds in a greased tin, dividing the mincemeat between each, then top with the stars.
Bake for 20 minutes at 150°C. Allow to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. Dont be alarmed, it's not unusual to discover one or two have 'disappeared' during the cooling process.
J. X
