Hello Dear Reader,
You all do often like the ‘how to’ blogs I write, so here’s a how to make mince pies. These took me an hour to make, including cooking time, and I was eating my lunch whilst they were cooking. Cost - about £1.50 for 12, but the fruit was soaked in brandy when I made the mince meat, so these are quite delicious.
1. Weigh out 500g of plain flour and add to the food processor with the chopping blade in the bottom.
2. Open and cut into cubes, 250g of vegetable margarine. Place in machine and switch on, until it resembles bread crumbs in about 60 seconds.
3. Switch back on, this time dribbling in cold water from a jug.
4. It will become bigger and bigger lumps until it forms one lump, as seen above. Stop and turn out onto a floured board or clean work top.
Here’s the finished pastry - so far in under five minutes. Switch the oven on, mine has gone onto 180 degrees, as I have oven chips, battered pollack in there too and that’s the temperature they need!
Gently roll out, big pastry cutter for the bottom and smaller for the top.
Go get the mince meat out of the cupboard. I made this when some one gave me a basket of windfall. It keeps for years.
I cram as much in as I can, it’s mainly apples, with some spices, some sugar, orange and lemon rind and a few flaked almonds.
Pop the tops on and bake for 25 minutes, mine went into the oven along with the fish and chips.
After cooking, leave the oven door open to warm the house up.
Finally, using a small plastic tea strainer, dust the little pies with a liberal sprinkling of icing sugar.
Leave to cool before eating! But, they are best is slightly still warm when you eat them. They can be eaten with cream (which I don’t like) or custard, but I like mine with a cup of tea.
Enjoyxxxx
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx
Oooh they look delicious…i made a lot last week end..we have ours with a splodge of cream or custard for puddings…yummy
love
sara
LikeLike
They look lovely, I must make some soon too!
Sue xx
LikeLike
We've got mince pies in the freezer and I'm very tempted now.
Great post.
Sft x
LikeLike
I'm dying here! I haven't had breakfast yet and these look absolutely wonderful.
LikeLike
They look delicious - I must, must make my own pies this year!
LikeLike
yum yum, time to get off my butt and make some. Love making these with my lovely daughter, but haven't done this for quite a few years,time to bring back that tradition. The difficult part will be leaving them for others, so more ish.
LikeLike
Yum! This looks great.
LikeLike
YUM! I love minced pies …and these look delicious!
LikeLike
Mine are made with jus-rol and shop bought mincemeat I'm afraid but I still pass them off as home-made!
LikeLike
they were as delicious as they looked - I had two in front of Froogs woodburner, with dogs on my lap - bliss!!
FM x
LikeLike
MMMMM I like mine HOT with ice cream! You can jazz up smart price mince meat with chopped apples and a splash of something delicious ( I like port!) and they are instantly more home made. Ps i LOVE this blog 🙂
LikeLike
I will start some Christmas baking this week- shortbread, butter tarts, naniamo bars, and walnut rolls. I start picking up baking supplies a few months in advance to spread out the cost. My adult son comes to help, and we divide up the spoils 🙂
I use my food processor the make pastry, chop nuts, mix fillings- It is a great contraption!
Just made dinner from the last of the home baked beans from the freezer. Happy baking everyone!
LikeLike