Quick Christmas Mince Pies 

Who has time to make mince pies? It was a rainy Sunday and I had leftover sweet pastry in the fridge from a lemon tart I made for dinner with friends earlier in the week. An idea of quick christmas mince pies popped into my head . I rolled out the two small pastry balls and carefully placed them in ramekins. I popped them into the air fryer and baked them for 7 minutes at 170°C until they were golden brown. Then, I let them cool for a few minutes before filling them with warm, ready-made traditional fruit mince. I couldn’t wait to show them off to Brian, who was reading in the pizza room. “Those deserve another cup of coffee,” he said.

These are quick and easy and all very seasonal and fun. Christmas is busy and I have walked passed mince pies so many times these past couple of weeks and have been tempted to put them into my trolley. I am trying to be more mindful of not eating too much processed foods. They are under major scrutiny at the moment, finally getting to reach the ears in need. So I kept saying to myself this year I will make my own. The filling is still store bought, so there is still an element of processed foods here, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Last year a dear friend of mine Patti made me some for my birthday. She used to make them with her Mom and sisters. They were so light and fresh, I loved them. This pastry is perfect for making ahead and keeping the little cups of pastry in an airtight container and filling with warmed mince pie filling as you need. If you are not a big family you can enjoy these at a moments notice.

Quick Christmas Mince Pies 

Ingredients

Pastry

• 160 g bread flour
• 80 g cake flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 80 g icing sugar sifted
• 1 lemon zest
• 160 g unsalted butter cubed
• one egg
• 2 tablespoons fresh cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 320 g tradition fruit mince store bought.

Decorate

• pecan nut halves

Instructions

• In a blender fitted with a blade attachment add flour, salt, sugar and zest. Mix for 30 seconds to combine
  160 g bread flour, 80 g cake flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 80 g icing sugar sifted, 1 lemon zest
• Add butter and pulse blitz to fine breadcrumbs
  160 g unsalted butter cubed
• Add egg and blend until dough starts to come together
  one egg
• Add a tablespoon of cream and vanilla and blitz until a smooth dough is formed, adding the additional tablespoon of cream if needed
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons fresh cream
• Pinch off small 35g chunks of dough and roll into balls
• Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes
• (This is a rustic free shape if you prefer neat perfect pies use a pasty cutter)
• Roll out each ball and line a shallow muffin pan or ramekins with the dough. Refrigerate until oven is ready
• Preheat oven to 200° C Bake for 8-10 minutes
• Or air fry for 7 minutes at 180° C if doing small batches
• Remove pastry cases from pans and cool on wire rack.
• Place traditional fruit mince in a saucepan or microwave until warmed through. Fill pastry cups with a tblaespoon of filling top with a pecan nut half
  320 g tradition fruit mince, pecan nut halves

Course: afternoon tea, anytime treat, baking

Cuisine: Christmas