Cook with Me: Mince Pies

Today on the Strugglingmum YouTube channel (click to watch Cook with me: Mince Pies) I am sharing with you how to make mince pies. The recipe used is from Favourite Christmas Treats recipe book and never fails. The mince meat is not homemade but bought ready made from the stores – it is the Tesco brand mince meat. The dough is homemade, as the ready made mince pies have to much dough to my taste. So here are the ingredients:

Pastry

2 cups plain flour

180gr butter, cubed

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons lemon juice (I always add a bit of lemon zest and vanilla essence to the dough).

The ingredients make for 12 mince pies, however I always double it and always get at least 24.

Method

Sift flour in a bowl. Add butter. Rub into flour using fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in caster sugar.
Stir in egg yolks and lemon juice. If pastry is too dry, gradually add a little water until a soft dough is formed. Mix to a soft dough. Knead lightly. Wrap in plastic wrap. Rest for 30min.
Roll out pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap or on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick. Cut into rounds using a scone cutter. Gently ease into patty tins. Decorate edges if desired.
Place 1-2 teaspoonsful of mince meat into each pie case. Cut more rounds with a smaller cutter. Brush edges with water (I use the egg whites from the eggs used for the dough). Press edges together. Sprinkle extra caster sugar over tops. Bake at 200C for 10-15minutes or until golden. Cool. Store in an airtight container.