Marzipan Mince Pies
At this time of the year there is nothing better than a home baked “sweet” mince pie, a very traditional morsel delicious with a cup of coffee or tea. For something different why not add a touch of marzipan to the mincemeat centre and create a truly festive delight which are very much a part what makes this time of the year so special, and remember, it is always lucky to make a wish on the first mince pie of the season you eat.
I use commercially prepared mincemeat for this recipe but if you wish to make your own please try my delicious homemade slow cooker recipe in this link Slow Cooker Festive Mincemeat If you do not own a slow cooker then just cook in the traditional manner in a low, slow oven.
By the way the below quantity makes 6 standard mince pies or 10/12 small mouthfuls. I also recommend to double up recipe for a decent bake (as seen in the cover image).
Ingredients
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Pastry:
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185g plain flour
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90g cold butter
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30g caster sugar
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1 whole egg
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1 tbsp cold water
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Filling:
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411g mincemeat- commercial brand
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2 tbsp sherry- optional
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100g marzipan- commercial brand and grated
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Decoration:
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Dusting icing sugar
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Any festive decorations
Instructions
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Prepare pastry:
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01 Mix the flour and butter in a food processor or by hand i.e rubbing the flour and butter together with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Now add the sugar, mix briefly. Beat the egg and water together and add to the flour breadcrumb mixture. Mix all until the dough just holds together. Shape into a round even ball, place in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge 10 minutes.
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Assemble mince pies:
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02 Roll out pastry thinly. Using a pastry cutter, cut the bases to the mince pies and line. Fill each mince pie with a tsp mincemeat, with or without the addition of the sherry, and a touch of the grated marzipan. Top each little tart with either a smaller circle of pastry or shape of choice (I often use a plain fluted cutter for the base of the tarts and top with a star shape).
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Bake:
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03 Brush with beaten egg, a sprinkling of vanilla caster sugar or Demerara sugar (optional) and bake in oven until golden, approximately 25-30 minutes.
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Serve:
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04 Best eaten warm but equally good cold, and always be careful if eaten too hot as these small tartlets can take the roof of your mouth when eaten straight out of the oven!
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Decorate:
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05 Dust with icing sugar before serving as this makes them look so pretty and perhaps a sprig of holly for that true festive look.
Notes
Best to always use non stick tart baking tray/s as these little darlings ooze mincemeat and can be very difficult to remove from the tin. Always allow to cool before attempting to remove from the tins, and I recommend to have a flat baking tin in the oven first, heating up and when hot then place the assembled mince pies tray on top for baking. This will speed up the cooking process of the pastry bases during cooking. I also recommend to double up recipe for a decent bake. Use non stick individual tart baking trays.
