Christmas mince pies
A celebrated Christmas tradition.
Ingredients
Filling
250g seedless raisins, chopped
250g sultanas
150g currants
100g dried cranberries
125g dried apricots, finely chopped
125g mixed peel, finely chopped
100g dried figs, finely chopped
100g slivered almonds
Juice and finely grated rind of 3 oranges
Juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon
200g brown sugar
2 tbsp honey or golden syrup
2 tsp ground cinnamon
150g butter, melted
100ml orange liqueur or brandy
Pastry
170g plain flour
80g icing sugar
2 tbsp ground almonds
100g chilled butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp chilled water
Method
For the filling, peel and coarsely grate apples. Combine with all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Spoon into sterilised jars, seal and store in the fridge for up to two months. Makes about 7 cups of filling.
For the pastry, process flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and butter in food processor until well combined and mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and chilled water and, using the pulse button, process until mixture starts to come together. Bring pastry together with hands and shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
To assemble the pies, roll out pastry thinly, cut out rounds and place in greased tart trays. Cut out some pastry shapes to decorate. Use star or snowflake cutters to make it festive. Spoon in some fruit mince filling and place a pastry shape on top (optional). Bake in moderate oven (180C) for 20 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Remove from oven and cool on cake racks. Dust with sifted icing sugar before serving.
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