Since reaching the semi-finals of the 2017 The Great British Bake-Off, Stacey Hart has moved away from the icing coated cakes she was famed for and now creates healthier, but still just as delicious, bakes. Here she shares her take on a Christmas favourite… There’s no escaping the fact that mince pies are always going to contain a fair bit of sugar, due to the dried fruit in them. With a bit of tweaking however, I’ve created a recipe that produces a deep filled mince pie with about half the sugar (per 100g) of a shop bought one, but which tastes just as luxurious.
Mix together all the ingredients in a large pan
Place on the heat and slowly bring to the boil. Boil gently for around 10 mins, stirring regularly
When nice and thick, take off the heat and once cooled carefully remove the cloves, orange and lemon peel
Using a hand blender, puree around half the mix and then stir - NB. Try to leave lots of bigger chunks do not over puree!
Store in the refrigerator until you want to use it
Place flour and butter in a food processor and pulse to get bread crumb consistency (or use fingertips with a light touch)
Add the xylitol and pulse
Add the egg and pulse together
Work to form two balls on a floured worktop or board (don’t over work)
Refrigerate for 1 hour
Preheat oven to 220OC/220 fan
Working with one ball at a time, roll out the pastry and make 12 circles and fit them in your muffin tin
Spoon a generous amount of mincemeat into each pie
Make your lids using either a round cookie cutter to cover the whole pie or a Christmas cookie cutter of your choice. I like to use a star or snowflake!
Brush egg wash on the rim of the pie and stick the edges of the lid down
Brush the top of the pie with egg wash
Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown
Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin
These mince pies can be stored in an airtight container and eaten within 3 days or can be frozen and popped in the oven to warm up.
0 servings