Gingerbread mince pies
Combine two very traditional Christmas bakes - gingerbread and mince pies - to create a brilliant modern classic. Top with mini gingerbread people.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 12 persons
Ingredients
- 400g mincemeat (ensure vegetarian, if needed)
- 50g stem ginger, chopped, plus 1 tbsp ginger syrup from the jar
- 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- ¼tsp ground cinnamon
- ½tsp ground ginger
- 125g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3tbsp golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1egg, beaten
- 8cm round biscuit cutter
- mini gingerbread person biscuit cutter
Instructions
Step 1
For the pastry, tip the flour, spices and butter into a large bowl with a large pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingertips until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the egg and use a cutlery knife to mix everything until the ingredients start to clump together. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until you have a smooth dough. Or, pulse the ingredients together in a food processor. Shape into a disc, then wrap and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep chilled for a day or frozen for three months.Step 2
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Mix the mincemeat with the ginger and syrup. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness. Stamp out 12 discs using an 8cm biscuit cutter and lightly press into a 12-hole cupcake tin.Step 3
Fill each pastry case with 1 tbsp of the mincemeat mixture. Re-roll the pastry scraps and stamp out 12 mini gingerbread people, then place one on top of each pie. Will keep frozen for up to two months.Step 4
Bake for 20 mins, or 30 mins from frozen. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Will keep in an airtight container for up to four days.