Mince pies

Apologies for the lack of posting. Life has gotten a bit busy over the last few months. Not sure how often I can blog, but I wanted to post this recipe for mince pies.  Mince pies are a tradition here in the UK.  They are a fruit-based sweet pie. Originally these pies had actual meat in them.

I used Paul Hollywood's recipe for mince pies but only the short crust pastry that he uses for his mince pies.

Here's the measurements for the short crust pastry (I've included the US measurements.)

375g plain flour (all purpose) - 1 1/2 cups
250g butter softened - 1 cup
125g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling - 1/2 cup
1 medium egg
dash of cold water

However I prefer the smaller size pies. After preparing the pastry, I used this shallow bun tin instead.  I cut out circles that fit into the bottoms of the tin. Then I cut out lids with the fluted circle that's slightly larger.  For the filling I just used 1 jar of mincemeat which was only 0.75p at Tesco.  Make sure you don't overfill the pastry.  Also I added little stars on top. I wet the top with a dab of water and then placed the star on top. Next time I will bake it a shorter time. I think the longer bake time caused them to bubble out a bit.  This recipe made 24 mince pies. Also as Paul promised, no soggy bottoms!

Took some to the office, and they seemed to enjoy them. I will take the rest to my inlaws this weekend. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of mince pies, but since it was easy to make, I think it's something that can be made every Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!