Almond and Cinnamon Mince Pies

December 11, 2015

It's finally the time of the year to bring back the humble mince pie! There's nothing that gets me into the Christmas spirit more than the smell of baking, and the cinnamon sprinkled on these pies will certainly make your kitchen smell very festive! I've used a basic pastry recipe and added ground almonds, so that they have a soft melt- in-the-mouth texture, and let's face it- who needs a fancy recipe when you're baking such a classic? This recipe makes 12 warming mince pies in less than 30 minutes- perfect for sharing with guests, friends and family. Or, if you need a treat yourself, they're they are the best partner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream whilst you snuggle up on the sofa and watch Elf!

~Ingredients~ 230g/8oz self-raising flour, 115g/4oz margarine, 28g/1oz ground almonds, 2 tbsp water, 12 tsp mincemeat, 2 tbsp milk, cinnamon and almonds to decorate.
~Method~ 1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160 fan assisted) 2. Rub together the flour and margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. 3. Stir in the ground almonds, then add the water and mix with a knife to form a dough. 4. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a 3mm thickness. 5. Using a 7.5mm cookie cutter, cut out 12 bases and place into a cup cake tray. Cut out 12 tops using a 6mm cookie cutter. 6. Place a teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case 7. Brush the pastry edges with milk and place the tops over the mincemeat. 8. Brush the pies with milk, top with half an almond and dust with cinnamon. 9. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Enjoy!