Mince Pies

Directions:

Make the pastry:

1. Sift the plain flour into a large bowl.
    
2. Add the caster sugar and ground almonds.
    
3. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the bowl.
    
4. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms breadcrumbs.
    
5. Once your mixture is the consistency of breadcrumbs, in a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add it into the mixture.
    
6. Mix the egg into the mixture and then bring the mixture together with your hands.
    
7. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for about half an hour.
    
8. Lightly grease your muffin tins with butter.

Make the pies:

1. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to your desired thickness.
    
2. Cut out 14 large circles and gentle press each pastry circle into a hole in your tin.
    
3. Fill each pie with a generous tablespoon of mincemeat. Don’t fill each pie completely as you need to leave space to add a lid.
    
4. Cut out 14 smaller circles and place onto the top of each pie. Press around the edges to seal the lid to the base of the pie.
    
5. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in the top of each pie.
    
6. Brush the top of each pie with a little milk.
    
7. Cover the pies with cling film and chill for about 30 minutes.
    
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
    
9. Bake the pies for 20 minutes, until the pastry is a golden brown colour.
    
10. Once cooked, leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes and then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.