Mini Mince Pies

There’s really nothing better to kick off the festive season than with a round of homemade mince pies. And these mini versions are perfect for anyone that prefers a smaller bite sized pie that you can comfortably gulp in one, possibly two glutinous bites - sans plate.

The buttery flaky pastry comes together in under 20 minutes and gives you a lot of yield for your buck - making a decent round of 20+ pies per bake. If you like a thinner pastry on your pies, you can roll it out even thinner to make even more.

I know there’s a general rule about using unsalted butter in baking recipes, but I’ve got to say, bringing a little salted Lurpak into the fold is a real win. It makes everything a little more buttery and in this case, reaped big flavour dividends in the resulting pastry. Give me salted over unsalted any day of the week!

INGREDIENTS:

• 380g plain flour

• 160g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

• 100g Lurpak salted butter

• 125g caster sugar

• 2 large beaten eggs - one for the mixture, one for glazing

• 1 jar of mincemeat - around 550g (I used my pre-made Christmas Mincemeat)

• Icing sugar and plain flour for dusting

METHOD:

1. Place the flour and butters in a bowl and rub together using your hands until you get the consistency of breadcrumbs.

2. Add the sugar and egg to the bowl and use a wooden spoon to mix together until everything is nicely combined.

3. Either on a lightly floured surface or in the bowl, work the pastry, folding it slightly until it forms one large ball of dough. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes.

4. Prepare your mini cupcake pan by lightly greasing each of the sections. Preheat the oven to 200C

5. Tip the flour onto a floured work surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll it out to around 3-4mm thick. You want to get it nice and smooth, without over-working it. This will give you a nice flaky pastry.

6. Use a round cutter to cut the base of the pies into roughly 20 rounds and place them in each of the tin holes, using your fingers to shape them slightly as you go. Spoon dollops of the mincemeat into each of the pastry cases, pushing the mixture down slightly with the back of the spoon.

7. Roll out the pastry again and use a star shape or circular cutter to cut out the tops of the cases. Place them on top of each of the mince pies.

8. Egg wash the top of each pie and pop them in the oven for around 15 minutes until golden and bubbling nicely. Allow to cool, remove from the tin, sprinkle with a little icing sugar and serve!