The perfect weekend baking project.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without yummy, crumbly mince pies, and if you fancy trying to make them this year instead of picking them up at the supermarket, this is your chance.
We reached out to Avoca and begged them to share their top-secret mince pie recipe, and while we absolutely will whip up a batch for ourselves to much on throughout the festive season, we reckon these will also make the perfect gift for someone.
Ready to fill your home with festive smells?
Mince Pies
Ingredients: (Serves 9 people)
For the pastry:
- 400g plain flour
- 275g unsalted butter
- 75g icing sugar
- 75g ground almonds
- 75g ground almonds
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2-3 tbsp milk
For the mincemeat:
- 450g raisins
- 225g sultanas
- 225g currants
- 900g dark brown muscovado sugar
- 450g vegetarian suet
- 110g mixed peel
- 125ml brandy or whiskey
- 3 tbsp marmalade
- 2 large cooking apples, grated
- Zest of 3 large oranges
To Make:
- The mincemeat should be made at least the day before. To do this, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir well, cover with a cloth and set aside overnight.
- Combine the flour, almonds and sugar. Rub in the butter so the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks. Stir gently, adding enough milk to form a dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate.
- Preheat the oven to 200°c/ gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry to about 13mm thick and cut nine 7.5cm rounds using a pastry cutter. Roll up the scraps with the remaining pastry, roll out again and cut nine 6cm circles. You can then cut or decorate them to pop on the top of your mince pies, think stars or Christmas trees.
- Grease the mince pie tins well and gently line them with the larger circles. Fill with mincemeat so they are just full. Dampen the edges with water and top with the smaller disks, then firmly pinch them to seal. For any that don’t have holes in snip with a scissors to allow the air to escape during baking.
- Brush lightly with milk and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.
