Niall’s Easy Christmas Mince Pies

Mince pies are a Christmas classic that you can’t be without this time of year.

This easy-to-follow recipe from Niall Kirkland is ideal for making your own, which not only results in freshly baked, delicious mince pies for you to enjoy — but is an activity that is guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit. Plus, it’ll quickly have the whole house smelling incredible.

Makes 12

https://youtu.be/9EJs-PHHPe0

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. 100% Coconut Oil

• 100g raisins

• 100g currants

• 100g dried cranberries

• Juice from 2 oranges

• 1 Braeburn apple (finely chopped)

• 1 tsp. vanilla essence

• 1 tbsp. mixed spice

• 1 tbsp. brown sugar

• Lemon zest

• 1 roll shortcrust pastry

• Flour (for dusting your surface)

Equipment:

• Cookie cutter

• Star-shaped cookie cutter

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/400°

2. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan or saucepan and add the apple.

3. Fry the apple for 3 minutes, then add the raisins, currants, dried cranberries, orange juice, vanilla, mixed spice, brown sugar, and lemon zest, and stir together.

4. Bring the pan to a simmer and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, dust your surface lightly with flour and lay your sheet of pastry out.

6. Using a rolling pin, roll your pasty out until it is roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Then, using a cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles from the pastry and set aside. Make sure the diameter of the cookie cutter is slightly bigger than the size of the holes in the muffin tray.

7. Then, roll the remaining pastry up into a ball and roll it out again onto your floured surface. Use the star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 12 stars from the pastry and set aside.

8. Now, build your mince pies. Lightly grease your muffin tray with some more coconut oil and then mold the pastry circles into the muffin tray. Fill it with your ‘mincemeat’ then top with pastry stars.

9. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then remove and leave to cool. Decorate your mince pies by dusting them with your icing sugar and enjoy!