Orange Almond Crumble Christmas Mince Pies

Total Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 100 g butter, chilled and cut in cubes
• 175 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 orange, zest of, finely grated
• 250 g good quality mincemeat, preferably homemade
• 50 g cold butter
• 50 g flour
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped
• icing sugar, for dusting

Recipe

• 1 make the pastry in a large bowl, or food processor, by blending the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. stir in the sugar and the orange zest and then 2 tablespoons water. bring the mixture together with your hands, adding a few drops of water if necessary, if it feel dry.
• 2 preheat oven to 375°f roll out 1/2 of the pastry (keep the other half wrapped in the refrigerator) on a lightly floured surface. you want the pastry to be very thin, so it is crisp when cooked. cut out 12 circles of pastry with a plain 6cm cutter (you will need to re-rol the pastry a couple of times) and use to line a 12-hole non-stick cupcake or mini-muffin tin. it is quite a soft pastry, so any little gaps that form as your are lining the holes can easily be patched. chill while you are making the topping.
• 3 in a small bowl, maker the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. stir in the sugar and almonds.
• 4 with a teaspoon, fill each pastry case with mincemeat, gently pressing it down to leave room for the crumble. sprinkle the topping over each pie, place the tin on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden.
• 5 leave the pies to cool in the tin before taking them out carefully. they are fragile when hot, so use a small knife to help lift them out.
• 6 unless you have two tins, repeat the process with the second batch of pastry, filling and topping, eat the mince pies warm or cold, lighty dusted with icing sugar, and served with whipped cream or brandy butter.