Mix all the ingredients, apart from the egg, together in the food processor until it resembles crumbs then slowly add the egg and wait until the pastry forms. Switch off and remove the pastry from the mixer. Alternatively, mix the dry ingredients together then rub in the butter with your hands until you get a crumb consistency before adding the egg and kneading it together to form the pastry. Place the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to cool.
200 g plain flour, 40 g golden caster sugar, 75 g ground almonds, 125 g unsalted butter, 1 egg
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C /400°F/gas mark 6. Grease a 12 hole baking try with oil or butter. Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick. Using 2 pastry cutters, cut out the top and bottoms of the pies using the larger cutter for the bottom and the next size one for the tops.
Place the bottoms in the pie tray, add a spoonful of mincemeat, brush the edges with a little milk to help the lids stick and place the lids on top. Carefully press the edges together using your fingers and prick the tops with a fork to allow steam to escape. Glaze the tops with a little milk if you like.
12 teaspoon mincemeat, 5 tablespoon milk
Place in the oven on a middle shelf for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transfering to a cooling rack.
Notes
Recipe Tips
Always make sure that your butter is cold from the fridge when making pastry.
I've used ground almonds in this shortcrust recipe. If you have a nut allergy, you should leave them out and use extra flour instead.
I often make a batch of these. I recommend however just mixing up the pastry quantity in the recipe card (serves 12) at one time as otherwise your mixer might not be able to cope. The actual mixing takes less than 2 minutes, so just repeat until you have all the pastry that you need.
When rolling out the pastry, dust the surface with a little plain flour to stop the pastry sticking and roll out to a thickness of about 3 mm. I also find it helps to dust the rolling pin and also the pastry cutters.
You can glaze your mince pies with a little milk or beaten egg. This will give them a slightly darker appearance. This is entirely optional and you don't have to glaze them at all.
How to Store Homemade mince pies will keep for one week if stored in an airtight container. They don't need to be kept in the fridge. You can also freeze mince pies for up to 3 months. You need to freeze them in their trays so that they keep their shape. Once frozen, you can transfer them to another container. You can also freeze the mince pies before they have been cooked. Again, you need to freeze them in their trays to keep their shape before transfering to another container.How to Reheat Reheat in the oven on a low temperature of 120°C / 250°F /gas mark 1 for 3 - 4 minutes. Individual pies can also be reheated in a microwave for about 15 seconds.