Delicious Home Made Christmas Fruit Mince Pies

With Christmas not too far away I am starting to plan what to prepare as small gifts. A great way to spend an afternoon is to bake some treats to share with your family, friends and neighbours.  Do not go past making these home made fruit mince pies.  They are absolutely mouthwatering.

Pastry
4 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup caster sugar
3 egg yolks
375 grams butter (chopped & room temperature)
1/2 cup iced water (approximately)
40 grams butter extra for greasing (melted)
icing sugar for dusting

Fruit Mince Recipe (click link below)

Home Made Christmas Fruit Mince in Brandy

Preparation Time:     20 minutes + 30 minutes refrigeration
Cooking Time:     40 minutes
Makes:     Approximately 84 Pies

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan-forced).  Grease two muffin tins (small 5 cm capacity – makes 24 pies/muffins per tin).

1. Process the flour, sugar and butter until crumbly.
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, then rub in the butter.
3. Add the egg yolks and enough iced water to make ingredients cling together.
4. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.
5. Divide the pastry into 6 even pieces, cover each with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Roll out each piece of pastry between sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick.
7. Cut out 6 cm rounds, reserve all pastry scrap.
8. Place the rounds into the prepared trays.
9. Fill each pastry case with 1 heaped teaspoon of fruit mince.
10. Roll the reserved pastry scraps between sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick cut out stars or any other festive shapes that will fit on the pies.
11. Brush with egg white and put in the oven.
12. Check if they are browning evenly.
13. You may need to turn the trays around for even baking.
14. Bake the pies for approximately 20 minutes or until the pastry is browned.
15. Once baked stand for 10 minutes, then remove the pies from the trays onto a wire rack to cool completely.
16. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Cook’s Tips

• I have doubled the recipe in order to make a large quantity.  You may only wish to make a small number pies in that case half the ingredients.
• Do make the pastry 3mm thick as it will be easier to remove the pies from the tin when baked.  Let them cool a little before you start removing them from the tin.

Enjoy!