This is my Mom's recipe for mince pies. You'll never look at Store-bought ones the same way again.
Pastry:
Ingredients:
250g Flour
250g Butter (very cold)
1/2 and egg, or 1 egg yolk
90ml Ice Cold Water
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
Cut Butter into small blocks. Rub the butter into the flour, but not too much, the chunks of butter should still be visible.
Beat egg, water and lemon juice together.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture, and stil until just blended. Refrigerate before rolling out. Makes 3-4 dozen.
Mince
Mix 1 unpeeled grated apple into 1 jar of fruit mincemeat.
To make the pies, cut out rounds with a cookie cutter, and place them in the bottom of a patty pan. Put one heaped teaspoon of mince into each one. Brush the edges of the lids with beaten egg, so it 'glues' down the lid. press another round on top, and press down the edges. Brush the top with beaten egg, and prick a hole into the top of each pie.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 190 degrees centigrade. Personally, I like them much better when they're room temperature, not hot at all, but some people seem to prefer them hot. In any case, careful eating them when they come out of the oven, that mince stores heat really well.
Written for The Ninjagirls Christmas Special.