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Chestnut mince pies

These chestnut mince pies are made with an easy orange shortcrust pastry but you can use ready-made and ready rolled pastry if you like.  If you decide to make the pastry yourself,  it can also be gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, according to your diet. The pastry be made up to 3 days ahead or frozen for up to 1 month. It’s important that you use good quality, preferably home-made mincemeat. Store the mince pies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Cuisine: British
Calories: 1234

Ingredients
  

  • 275 g flour
  • 175 g cold butter or margarin
  • 75 g icing sugar
  • Grated zest of ½ orange
  • 2 Tbsp cold orange juice
  • About 8 roasted chestnuts
  • Good quality mincemeat
  • 1 egg

Method
 

  1. In a food processor, whizz together the flour, sugar and butter until you get fine crumbs (or rub together with your fingers). Add the orange zest and juice. Whizz again for a few more seconds until you get a smooth dough.
  2. Form a big ball from the dough, wrap it in clingfilm and rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  3. Heat the oven to 190C. Grease a 12-hole, non-stick shallow muffin or bun tin.
  4. Finely chop the chestnuts.
  5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm thickness. Cut out circles with a pastry cutter (or a mug), large enough to cover the tin holes (about 8 cm diameter) then press the pastry disks into them.
  6. Fill each base with chestnuts and mincemeat.
  7. Re-roll the trimmings to the same thickness and stamp out small stars for the tops. Dampen the edges with water, then press them lightly on top of the edge of the pies.
  8. If you'd like the pies to have a shiny glaze, lightly beat an egg, then brush the stars and the edges of the pies with it.
  9. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until golden. Cool for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack.
  10. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.