It’s meant to be lucky to eat twelve different mince pies made by twelve different cooks. Unless you can find eleven volunteers to help, you’ll have to make these yourself and forfeit the luck but they’re worth it!
Ingredients to make 21 mince pies
- 1lb/454g plain flour
- 8oz/226g butter
- 5 tbs cold water
- mincemeat to fill the pies – approximately 1-2 tsp per pie
1. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Sprinkle the water over the mixture and combine to form a firm dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little extra flour.
3. Roll out on a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin and cut 21 pie bases and lids, using pastry cutters.
4. Grease two patty tins and line with the pastry bases. Spoon a tsp or so of mincemeat into each one. Moisten the edges of the pastry bases with a little water and stick the lids on, pressing them down at the edges to stick them firmly in place.
5. Bake at gas mark 6/200°C for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is turning golden.
Almond Pastry Mince Pies
To make this delicious alternative, instead of using 5-6 tbs of cold water in the pastry use 4-5 tbs of water with 2 tsp of almond extract. If you’re making both standard and almond mince pies, press a flaked almond into the top of the appropriate pies before baking so that you know which are which.
Orange Pastry Mince Pies
For this version, use pure orange juice in place of the water. Grate a little orange peel onto the top of each orange flavoured pie, to remind you which are the zesty ones. Adults may also appreciate a dash of cointreau in each mince pie before the pastry lids are stuck on.
Categories: recipes
