Mince Pie Crumbles

If you find mince pies with pastry top & bottom a bit on the heavy side these are the mince pies for you, they are made using an all butter pastry case, filled with our delicious home made mincemeat topped with a light buttery crumble.

The mincemeat can be made at the last minute, as it is a cooked mincemeat, the suet melts during cooking encasing the other ingredients so does not need weeks of maturing, although it will keep in sterilized jars for up to 6 months.

If time is of the essence you can of course buy your mincemeat but this is a quick & easy recipe.

MINCEMEAT INGREDIENTS

  • 225g Bramley apples, peeled, cored & chopped into small chunks
  • 110g Vegetable suet
  • 200g Raisins
  • 125g Sultanas
  • 125g Currants
  • 175g Soft dark brown sugar
  • Grated zest of a lemon & an orange
  • Quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 2 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 4 tablespoons brandy

MINCEMEAT METHOD

  • Combine all the ingredients in an oven proof bowl except the Brandy, stirring thoroughly.
  • Cover with a clean tea towel & leave overnight to allow the flavours to mingle.
  • The next day Pre-heat the oven to 120c.
  • Cover the bowl with foil & cook for 2 hours, It will look as though it is swimming in fat but once the mixture comes out the oven & cools it will encase the ingredients.
  • Allow to cool, stirring occasionally.
  • The mincemeat is now ready to be placed in sterilized jars or straight into your mince pies.

MINCE PIE INGREDIENTS

  • 250g salted butter
  • 500g plain flour
  • 125g caster sugar
  • A pinch of mixed spice
  • A little milk

MINCE PIE METHOD

  • Pre heat the oven to 175c
  • In a food mixer, processor or with your hands, mix & combine all ingredients until they resemble breadcrumbs.
  • Remove a third of the breadcrumbs into another bowl.
  • Add a little milk at a time to the remaining breadcrumbs mixing in between until the mixture forms a dough.
  • Tip out onto a floured work surface & roll out thinly.
  • Using pastry cutters, cut out rounds of pastry, placing them in a cupcake tin, gently press them into the bottom & sides of the tin.
  • Add a generous teaspoon of mincemeat to the centre of each pastry case.
  • Top with a spoon of the crumble mix until all the mincemeat is covered. Don’t worry if the crumble mix goes everywhere & over the sides of the case, the case will lift cleanly from the cupcake tin once cooked leaving any bits behind.
  • Place in the oven for approx 20 mins or until golden brown.
  • Once cooked these can be eaten but equally freeze really well in a tupperware container.
Mince Pie Crumbles
Mince Pie Crumbles