Ingredients
- 600g currants, raisins, sultanas
- 200g dried cranberries
- 100g mixed peel
- 2 lemons, zest & juice
- 2 clementines, zest & juice
- 6 tbsp brandy
- 2 large apples, cored and grated (no need to peel them)
- 300g shredded suet
- 300g light muscovado sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 x 375g pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry
- 600g currants, raisins, sultanas
- 200g dried cranberries
- 100g mixed peel
- 2 lemons, zest & juice
- 2 clementines, zest & juice
- 6 tbsp brandy
- 2 large apples, cored and grated (no need to peel them)
- 300g shredded suet
- 300g light muscovado sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 x 375g pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry
Make your mincemeat a few weeks in advance and store it in a cool dry place. This will give your mincemeat the chance to mature and soak up all its flavours. The mix will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months. It is also far more mix than you need for this recipe but I am counting on you wanting to make them repeatedly over the coming month.
Mix everything, aside from the pastry, in a bowl and decant into sterilised jars.
You’ve done all the hard work with the mincemeat, so let’s make it easy with the shortcrust and get some shop-bought!
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Grease a shallow cupcake tray with butter.
Roll out the shortcrust to 3mm thickness and use a cutter or upturned cup to cut equal circles. This recipe should make 12 mince pies so be sure to have cut 24 circles (top and bottom). Line the base of the cupcake tray with a disc of pastry. Drop a generous spoonful of mincemeat into the centre of each pie, filling it over halfway full.
Top off with your pastry lid. If you want to get creative, you can shape the lid of your pie into a festive design such as a star or snowflake.
Brush the pies with an egg wash and sprinkle with caster sugar before popping in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill and set.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and please let to cool a little before you dig in!