Christmas Mince Pies

Make your own this Christmas… not only will they be far better than the store-bought ones, but they make excellent gifts. There are several shortcuts you can take ­– buy sweet shortcrust pastry, and buy pre-made fruit mince – but I’ve included recipes for both here so you can make them 100% from scratch if you choose. Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar for the ultimate festive treat.

Makes 36 pies

Takes 60 minutes

Ingredients

Fruit mince

1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced

1/2 cup sultanas

1/3 cup mixed peel

1/3 cup currants

1/3 cup pistachios, chopped

1 cup soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 tablespoon brandy

1 lemon, zested & juiced

1 orange, zested & juiced

Pastry

2 cup flour

2 tbsp almond meal

180g cold butter, chopped

1/4 cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Make the fruit mince in advance. Place all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Cook for 20 minutes, until the fruit has broken down and absorbed most of the liquid. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little, before spooning into sterlilised jars and storing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To make the pastry, sift flour into a large bowl and then stir in almond meal. Rub in the butter with your fingers. Sift in icing sugar. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and stir in the egg yolk and just enough milk to bring the ingredients together.

On a lightly-floured bench, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes, until smooth. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Roll out pastry to 3mm thickness, and cut out 7.5cm rounds. Press into pre-greased shallow round patty pans. Drop tablespoons of fruit mince into each hole. Re-roll the pastry scraps and cut into different shapes. Brush each shape with beaten egg and place egg-side down on top of the fruit mince.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a baking rack and allow to cool slightly.

Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Tip

Make these pies ahead of time and store in an airtight container. You can layer them between sheets of baking paper. To reheat before serving, pop into a warm oven for 4-5 minutes, before dusting with icing sugar.