Christmas fruit mince pies

ingredients

• Filling

  • 3 granny smith apples
  • 250 gram seedless raisins, chopped
  • 250 gram sultanas
  • 250 gram currants
  • 125 gram glace or dried apricots, chopped finely
  • 125 gram mixed peel or glace orange slices, chopped finely
  • 100 gram slivered almonds, chopped
  • 3 oranges, finely grated rind and juice of
  • 1 lemon, finely grated rind and juice of
  • 200 gram brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon honey or golden syrup
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 150 gram butter, melted
  • 100 millilitre orange liqueur, brandy or dark rum

• Pastry

  • 170 gram plain flour
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoon ground almonds
  • 100 gram chilled butter, chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon chilled water
  • icing sugar, to dust tarts

method

• Christmas fruit mince pies

  • 1

    To make filling, peel and coarsely grate apples. Combine with rest of filling ingredients and mix well. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

  • 2

    To make pastry, whiz flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and butter in food processor until well combined and mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and chilled water and, using pulse button, process until mixture starts to come together.

  • 3

    Bring pastry together with hands and shape into a disc. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

  • 4

    Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Roll out pastry thinly, cut out rounds and place in tart trays. Cut out some pastry shapes to decorate. You can use star or snowflake cutter's to make it festive. Spoon in some fruit mince filling and place a pastry shape on top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes - pastry should be golden.

  • 5

    Cool on cake racks. Dust with sifted icing sugar before serving.

notes

Gift idea: Spoon leftover fruit mince into sterilised jars, seal, decorate with ribbon and attach the fruit mince recipe, printed on card.