This recipe makes eighteen light zesty mince pies topped with a warm cinnamon crumble. When baking they leave a festive aroma which will linger throughout your home leaving an extra special welcoming for your guests. Serve with some softly whipped cream or a generous dollop of Armagnac butter, accompanied with a glass of mulled wine….
Shopping List
Pastry:
– 200g Cream Flour (sieved).
– 150g Unsalted Butter (chilled & cubed).
– 50g Caster Sugar.
– 2 Orange Zest.
– 1 Organic Egg (beaten).
Filling:
– 350g Homemade or Wexford Mincemeat.
Cinnamon Crumble Topping:
– 150g Cream Flour.
– 125g Unsalted Butter.
– 75g Caster Sugar.
– 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon.
Armagnac Butter:
– 150g Unsalted Country Butter (at room temperature).
– 100g Icing Sugar (Sieved).
– 3 Tbsp Armagnac.
– 1 Tbsp Boiling Water.
Method
1. To make the pastry, finely grate the orange zest evenly into the flour, rub the flour, butter and sugar to form a fine breadcrumb mixture in a mixing bowl. Pour in the beaten egg slowly to bring the mixture together (you will only need ½ of the whole egg to bring it together).
2. Tip the mixture out onto a chilled floured marble surface, bring the mixture together gently with your hands and form into a rectangular shape. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour.
3. Lightly butter and flour a 12-hole muffin tray. Thinly roll out your pastry dough in between two layers of cling film. Cut out 12 circles with your pastry cutter large enough to fill the base of your tin. Press the pastry circles into each hole and place a tablespoon of mincemeat in each pastry circle. Chill for a further 15 minutes.
4. Preheat your oven to 200C/Gas 6. Make your crumble by rubbing the flour, butter and caster sugar together to form a bread crumb mixture. Sieve in the cinnamon evenly into the mixture, cover the tops of each pie with just enough crumble to cover the mincemeat.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until he tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the mince pies cool completely before removing from the tin. Place on a cake stand and cover with a dusting of icing sugar. Cover any remaining pastry with cling film and chill in the fridge to be used later in the week.
For The Armagnac Butter:
1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together until smooth. Mix in the water then add in the Armagnac.
2. Store in the fridge over night.
