Sweet Petite Mince Pies

11:32 PM

What a wonderful way to kick off the festive season, than with Fruit Mince Pies! In case you missed my Facebook announcement - I'll be posting a Christmas Recipe every day until the 25th! I have already been making some delicious little treats, so make sure you keep up to date with the blog for some wonderful ideas.

So, this recipe is from Sunbeam and I really love it! These are made in mini-muffin pans, and I find the size just perfect. Because there are so many yummy (and high-calorie) treats around at Christmas, I like keeping things bite-sized.

I have already frozen my batch, so have them on hand to give as gifts or to take along to any Christmas get-togethers. It could just be the Brisbane humidity, but I found the pastry quite soft, so next time I'll add an extra 1/2 cup of plain flour. I also cheated and used a bought jar of fruit mince for the filling - but hey, I've got a 1 and 2-year-old so time is precious!

Enjoy these, let me know if you whip them up and what you think!

Ingredients
FILLING
200g Sunbeam Mixed Fruit, chopped
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tsp mixed spice
1⁄4 cup brandy

PASTRY
1⁄2 cup Sunbeam Almond Meal 
2 cups plain flour
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 egg and 1 tbsp water, lightly beaten
Icing sugar to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 180oC.

Place all filling ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.


Place almond meal, flour, sugar into a food processor and process until combined. Add butter and egg mixture and process until a ball forms. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Use a round 6cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 24 circles from the pastry. Line the base of 24-hole non-stick mini muffin pan (or use two 12-hole pans). Fill cases with fruit mince.

Re-roll pastry and use a 4cm-diameter fluted pastry cutter to cut 24 circles for the lids. Brush the underside of lid lightly with water before gently pressing onto pie. Cut a small cross in the middle of each lid.

Bake at 180oC for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
,