Mince Pies

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil - very cold and hard, (they will taste better with refined coconut oil)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1/3 Cup of Sugar
• 7-10 tbsp of Ice Cold Water
• 1 and 1/4 Cups Mincemeat
• A few drops plant-based milk - for brushing the pastry
• Powdered Sugar - for dusting

Method:

1. Put a shallow bun tin or mince pie tin in the fridge to chill.
2. Add the flour, salt, coconut oil and sugar to a food processor and mix with a fork until it looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Add the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts to ball up. Don't overwork the pastry because over working it will make the pastry tough.
4. Test that you can squeeze it together into a pliable dough. Add a tiny bit more water and process again if it's too dry. Then, bring the dough together and turn out onto a floured surface.
5. Roll out to 2-3mm thick and even all over.
6. Use a cookie cutter, mason jar lid or the top of a mug or glass to cut out circles from the dough and put it into the muffin tin.
7. Crimp the edges if you want to or just leave them.
8. Add a generous amount of mincemeat to each once. It should come right up level with the top.
9. Bring the pastry scraps back together and roll out again to 2 - 3 mm thick.
10. Cut out the lids. You can make them full round ones or cut them into shapes. Put the lid onto the open pies and press down all around to seal.
11. Brush the top of each pie with plant-based milk
12. Refrigerate the pies while the oven warms up.
13. Once the oven is ready, remove the pies from the fridge and place in the hot oven.
14. Cook for around 30 minutes. The pastry should be turning golden brown and the mincemeat filling bubbling.
15. Remove from the oven and prise out gently.
16. Make sure they are cooled enough before sprinkling them with icing sugar.