Mince Pies
A bit of an English tradition, not everyone will like them but we find them quite enjoyable :)
| Ingredients and Quantities | UK | USA |
| Regular, plain, all purpose flour | 350 grams | 12 oz |
| Cooking Margarine | 90 grams | 3 oz |
| Lard (butter can substitute) | 90 grams | 3 oz |
| Sweet Mincemeat (fruit/apples) | 450 grams | 1 lb |
| Salt | A good pinch | |
| Icing or caster sugar | Enough to dust the pies when cooked | |
| Paper baking cases (optional) | Recipe makes 16 pies | |
Utensils and Cooking Equipment
- Muffin Baking tray / Tartlet Tins with spaces for at least 16 small pies
- Cookie cutters: 2½" (6½ cms) round AND 3" (7½ cms) round
- Paper baking cases (optional)
Recipe Instructions
- Sift flour with pinch of salt.
- Rub in the lard/butter and the margarine, and then mix the pastry with just enough cold water to make a stiff dough.
- Roll out half the pastry to 1/8" (0.3 cms) thick
- Cut out rounds with 3" (7½ cms) cutter, and place into greased/oiled tartlet tin or into paper baking cases in tartlet tin
- Fill each tartlet with mincemeat
- Roll out remainder of pastry, cut out 2½" (6½ cms) rounds
- Moisten edges of these tops, and stick onto the tartlets; skewer hole in each top
- Bake in oven preheated to 200ºC, 400ºF, Gas Mark 6 for 20 minutes
- Dust tops with icing sugar while still warm; do not remove from tray until cool
- Refrigerate for up to one week
A recipe that wont stay around for very long once you have made them! Serve hot or cold; if you microwave to reheat remember the inside gets very much hotter than the pastry.
