31 days of Christmas: Tasty and easy mince pie recipe

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me an easy and scrumptious mince pie recipe!

These mince pies can be prepared in just under an hour, and the recipe is set out to make 18 perfect and yummy mince pies.

We have also added a recipe to create vegan and vegetarian mince pies, which are just as delicious and festive.

Easy mince pies

Ingredients

• 225g of cold butter, diced
• 350g of plain flour
• 100g of golden caster sugar
• 280g of mincemeat
• 1 small egg, beaten
• Icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

1. To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt.
2. Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole.
4. Spoon the mincemeat into the pies. Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies.
5. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. Will keep frozen for up to one month.
6. Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg. Bake for 20 mins until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with the icing sugar. Will keep for three to four days in an airtight container.

ALSO TRY: 31 days of Christmas: Ginger cream biscuit log recipe

Mince pie vegan version

Ingredients

• 1 large apple, peeled and grated
• 200g of mixed dried fruit
• 390g of jar black cherries in kirsch
• 100g of skinless hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of allspice
• 150g of dark brown sugar

For the pastry

• 400g of flour
• 200g of coconut oil, straight from the fridge
• 20g of icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 50ml of ice-cold vodka
• 50ml of non-dairy milk, for brushing

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 180°C. Tip all the mincemeat ingredients into a casserole dish or roasting tray – be sure to include half the kirsch from the jar of cherries. Mix everything together, then cover with a lid or a sheet of foil. Bake for 35-40 mins until all the sugar has melted, the mixture is bubbling slightly at the edges and the liquid has reduced (the mixture firms a bit as it cools, so be careful not to over-reduce). Set aside to cool completely. Can be made up to three days in advance and chilled in the fridge.
2. To make the pastry: tip the flour and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and pulse to just combine, then pour in the vodka and 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and pulse until the pastry is just coming together. Add another 2 tablespoons of water if a little dry, then tip the dough onto a clean surface and pat into a disc with your hands. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
3. Take the pastry out of the fridge. Cut off one-third of the pastry and keep covered under a tea towel. Cut the rest into five chunks and, one chunk at a time, squeeze with your hands until malleable, then roll out on a well-floured surface to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut out circles using a 9cm cookie cutter and line 18 holes of two 12-hole cupcake tins. Repeat with the rest of the pastry chunks, re-rolling off-cuts where necessary.
4. Put a heaped spoonful of mincemeat in the middle of each circle, then put the pies in the fridge. Take the remaining pastry from under the tea towel and roll out to 0.5cm thickness. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Chill for 15 mins to firm up.
5. Heat oven to 180°C. Remove the pastry sheet from the fridge and use an 8cm cookie cutter to cut out nine circles, then use a star cutter to cut out the middles. Bring the mince pies out of the fridge and top half of them with the stars and the other half with the stamped-out circles. Use your fingers to seal the tops and bases, then brush the tops with milk. Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and the tops are golden. Cool a little, then dust with a little icing sugar to serve.

These recipes were found on bbcgoodfood.com