Mincemeat Pies, for me one of the staples of Christmas food. For others, gag worthy. Truly, I've met people who think they are absolutely vile to eat. I however love them and grew up with them in South Africa, thing is, here in the States they are not very well known and you can't find them as easily available as back home, or in England for instance.
Another thing that seems to turn people off these little pies, is that they seem to think that they are very hard to make at home, but I'm here to tell you that it really is not and they taste so much better than store bought.
You can also make the filling at home, though I usually buy the big jar. I'm pretty certain that homemade is way tastier too but I haven't had the chance to try that yet, maybe next year.
Anyway, I got the recipe for the pastry from one of my favorite Youtubers, Rebecca from Percy and Grace. This is such a quick and easy recipe and the result is a buttery tasty flaky dough, perfect for these pies.
The recipe IS in grams and I'll see if I can convert it for you all, but I would highly suggest getting a kitchen scale that uses both grams/kilos and ounces/pounds, they are a life saver, really.
Homemade Mincemeat Pies
Source: Percy and Grace
This recipe makes 12 mince pies but you could just increase or decrease the quantities to make more or less mince pies.
280g plain flour (about 2 and a 1/3 cups)
195g softened unsalted butter (about 3/4 cups)
95g caster sugar (white sugar)
2 medium eggs
1 large jar of mincemeat
Icing sugar for dusting (powdered sugar)
In a bowl, add the flour and the butter, mix with your fingertips or a knife to get a crumbly mixture. Add in one egg and mix well, dump onto a floured surface and fold the pasty dough over itself a few times, knead a little until it comes together well, try not to overmix though.
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200 Celsius/425 Farenheit.
Roll out your dough to about 3mm about an 1/8th of an inch. Using a big cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles. Butter a muffin pan, and pop one circle in each, then press and mold to size. Drop in 1 and a half tablespoons of mincemeat filling.
Beat the other egg, and using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the pies. Roll out the dough again, cut out another 12 circles, top each pie with a circle, pressing down to seal. Glaze with the rest of the egg, sprinkle on some sugar and make a cut in the middle of each pie.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until nice and golden. Let cool and then pop them out of the pan and dust with icing sugar.
To store, place them in an airtight container, they will keep for about a week, but you can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Enjoy!!!
Now, those are cute!
ReplyDeleteI love the mincemeat by Cross and Blackwell.
I think I'll give this recipe a try for little pies.
I also have put mincemeat on the bottom of a pumpkin pie. Delicious!
Happy Christmas baking ~ FlowerLady
Delicious! I love mincepies! xx
ReplyDeleteLOL I've never been fond of mincemeat, but your pies look delicious!
ReplyDeleteSandra, this is actually a comment on the mice problem. I prayed for you about it today. I can sympathize. We did have the exterminator come out and here's what he did: I think first he set traps with warfarin mouse killer (d-con?) He put them along the walls as he said that's where mice travel. Then he walked all around the outside of the house and identified any hole where a mouse could get in. And he found some little tiny ones that I wouldn't have thought a mouse could fit in. Then he filled them with this sort of caulk/foam that hardened as it dried. I'm sure you could find some at the hardware store. That seemed to take care of the problem. Hope it works for you. Linda N.
ReplyDeleteSandra your mincemeat pies look yummy, even though I've never tried......as for mice problems believe me I've lived in the country all of my life, grew up on a farm, outside cats are good to have if pea single, definetly go around and fill any hole crack to be found in and outside house, those boogers can flatten themselves to get in through the smallest area....we have always used steel wool. They will not chew through it....it can be found at Walmart, hardware store etc.... Inside under sinks where drain pipes come up from floor, fill with steel wool, around dryer vent, if your doors have cracks or aren't sealing well, caulk them, and seriously any Decon can be used in attached garages where you're puppies would not get into it but if the mice get in the house and die omg the smell....make sure anywhere there is a pipe going into house is sealed tight with caulking, this is a job, but I guarantee you the mice problem will feminist...calling a exterminator is expensive and he is going to do basically what I suggested......,,
ReplyDeleteGood luck......hope these tricks work the have for us and my children who have had a few rodent issues.....
Blessings
Rhonda
Outside cats feasible, lol, word spelling in above comments and the mice are who flatten themselves out......
ReplyDeleteRhonda
Warfarin is a blood thinner, the animal bleeds to death..my dog ate rat poison twice & almost died. Had to go to the vet to get VitAmin K which is a clotter. So if there is a chance your dogs or any other animal may eat it...don't put it out. Glue traps, foam caulking, and regular victor traps with peanut butter are the best. If they eat the poison they will die in various places of the home that you can't get to & stink FOREVER!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother always made mincemeat pies but unfortunately I never ate any and I do not remember what they looked like. I remember she caned her own mincemeat as well. Yours look absolutely sinful! My grandmothers must have not looked like yours at all or surely I would have tried them!