Mince pies 2015

This is my mince pie recipe 2015, with shortbread-like crust and my favorite mincemeat from Nigella Lawson. I used my muffin tin to create individual mince pies. Have you started your holiday baking?

Mince pie 2015

Nigella Lawson's mincemeat with fresh cranberries

- 30 ml sherry + 30 ml rum (or 60 ml ruby port)
- 75 g soft dark brown sugar
- 300 g fresh/frozen cranberries
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 75 grams currants
- 75 grams raisins
- 30 grams dried cranberries
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 clementine
- 25 ml marsala wine (or brandy)
- 3 drops almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons honey

For the crust for a 12-muffin tin:

- 100 g plain flour
- 100 g bread flour
- 50 g coarsely ground oat flour (or plain flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 tablespoons caster sugar
- 100 g butter
- 40 g water

Frangipane filling:

- 50 g butter, melted
- 50 g sugar
- 50 g ground almond
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- The butter, sugar and ground almond can increase to 100 g each if more frangipane is required. There is no need to increase the egg or the almond extract.

First, make the mincemeat. Put everything in a pot except the last four ingredients (marsala, almond extract, vanilla and honey). Bring the pot to boil and reduce the heat to low. Cook with the lid on for the first 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure everything well mixed. Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Crush the fresh cranberries gently with the back of the stirring spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a while before adding the marsala, almond extract, vanilla extract and honey. Stir well with a wooden spoon to mash the mixture down into a paste.  Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jars and, once cool, store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

To make the pie crust, mix all ingredients together to form a dough. It helps when butter and water are lukewarm. Roll the dough out with a thickness of 0.3 cm (about a pound coin thick). Cut into 10-cm circles and press into the muffin hole to line the mould. The dough is enough to cover a 12-muffin tin. I find it helpful to lay a strip of 15-20cm baking paper on the bottom of each muffin holes and place the dough on top of it. It makes removing piping hot mince pies out a lot easier.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Mix all frangipane ingredients in a bowl. Put 1 tablespoon of mincemeat into each muffin hole and fill the pie to the brim of the crust with frangipane filling. I find it's better to go easy on the mincemeat filling (however delicious it is) to avoid pies tasting too substantial.

Bake at 180C for 25 minutes. Rotate half way through. Enjoy.