Minced fruit pies

I generally make a big batch of mince pies around Christmas, they are great for entertaining or taking to work or my mothers group catchups. They freeze well as well. This year I made a batch of small bite sized ones (so that even the mince pie haters can try one), regular sized ones as well as a large #gluten free, #vegan pie (the recipe is available on my other blog allergenfreemum.blogspot.com which is dedicated to allergen free cooking). The fruit mix quantity mentioned  catered for 1 dozen small, 1 dozen medium and 1 large pie.  Depending on the number of pies you make, you may have some extra mixture left over, which can be refrigerated for later use. Alternatively, you can use it in a fruit cake or serve it with plain vanilla ice cream.

Fruit mix

1 cup of chopped sultanas
1 cup of currants
1/2 cup of chopped cranberries
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons of brandy
1 heaped teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey

Short crust pastry (to make 12)

You can either use frozen shop bought short crust pastry sheets (which I have used in the past, but feel the pastry turns out dry) or make your own (the quantities can be doubled to make a bigger batch). You will need:

200 gm plain flour
1 tablespoon of icing sugar
100 gm cold butter
1egg
2 tablespoons of cold water

Egg wash

1 beaten egg, mixed with a little milk

Method

For the dry fruit mixture, mix all the ingredients together and allow to stand for a minimum of 20 minutes or overnight if time permits.

Make the short crust pastry by cutting the cold butter into small cubes and mixing it in with the flour. Add the sugar and beaten egg and bring the dough together. Use the cold water only if and as needed. Take care not to over work the dough. Wrap it in cling wrap and chill it for 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper. If using frozen pastry, ensure it has thawed slightly. Use a cookie cutter to get the desired sizes and place into a greased muffin tin or pie tin.  Reserve some pastry for the pie tops. The pastry scraps can be brought together and rolled out later (but must be kept in the fridge to stay chilled)

Line the pies with baking paper, add some dry beans/ rice and blind bake in a 180 C oven for 10-15 minutes. The smaller the size of the pies, the less time they need in the oven. Remove the grease proof paper and dry bean filling and bake for a further 2-5 minutes.  Spoon in the mince fruit mixture, place strips of pastry on top, or use a star shaped cookie cutter to make little tops and place them on the fruit mix. Brush with egg wash and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar and enjoy warm or cold. They are also delicious served with custard or ice cream.

Merry Christmas!!!