Easy Mince Pie Recipe
A Simplified Version of the Christmas Favourite
Using a food processor to make the pastry means that you can knock up a batch of these pies in just a few minutes.
Easy Mince Pie Recipe
Makes around 30 individual pies.
Ingredients:
- 10 oz plain white flour, plus extra for rolling out the pastry
- 2 oz caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 6 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- a little cold water
- pinch of salt
- 1 x 400g jar of premium quality mincemeat
- a little milk or egg white
Instructions:
- First of all make the pastry. This is much easier using a food processor, but you can of course make it by hand - simply mix the ingredients in a bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes so it will be easier to mix, and place into the food processor along with the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Place the lid onto the processor and mix until the ingredients start to resemble breadcrumbs. Now gradually pour a little water into the food processor funnel until the mixture forms into a soft dough - don't add water too quickly as the dough will come together very suddenly, and you don't want it to end up too wet and sticky.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and place onto a well-floured worktop. You can wrap the dough in clingfilm and place in the fridge for an hour or so to make it easier to handle, but you really only need this step if you have formed the dough into a ball by hand - using the food processor means you should be able to proceed to the next step without having to wait for the dough to chill. Turn your oven on to 200 centrigrade.
- Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of around 1-2 mm thick. Grease your baking tins well with a little butter or oil if they are not non-stick. The size of the rounds you cut from the pastry depends on the size of your tins - just make sure that each circle of pastry is large enough to come all the way up the sides of each tray indent. Don't worry if you don't have pastry cutters, just use a glass with the right-sized top. For each bottom you cut, don't forget to make a top, using a slightly smaller cutter or glass.
- Once you have lined each tray indent with a pastry bottom, place a teaspoon of mincemeat into each pie. Don't be tempted to overfill them, as the filling will simply escape and make a mess of your tins. Now add a pastry top and seal the top and bottom by using your fingers to gently pinch them together around the edge.
- Pour a little milk or egg white into a small jug or bowl. Using a pastry brush, gently brush a layer of milk or egg white over the tops of the pies. Now sprinkle around a quarter of a teaspoon of caster sugar over the top of each pie.
- Place the trays of pies into your oven. They should take around 20 mins to cook - until they are just turning golden brown. If in doubt, carefully remove one from its tin and gently tap the bottom to make sure it feels firm and crisp. Don't forget that the pies on the top shelf of the oven will cook quicker than those below, so you may need to swap the trays around during cooking.
- Cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, the pies will keep for at least a week in an airtight tin.
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The copyright of the article Easy Mince Pie Recipe in Winter Recipes is owned by Elizabeth Gregory. Permission to republish Easy Mince Pie Recipe must be granted by the author in writing.
