Pour the jar of mincemeat into a pan, add sloe gin and dried cherries and heat gently.It doesn’t need to cook for long, just enough for the suet pieces to melt slightly which thickens up the mixture after adding the alcohol.Then leave to cool before assembling the mince pies.
412 g mincemeat, 30 ml sloe gin, 50 g dried cherries
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (fan oven). Lightly oil the holes in your mince pie tin using a pastry brush and a little vegetable oil.
10 ml vegetable oil
Unroll your sheet of puff pastry. Cut out 8 circles using a large cutter for the bases, then 8 circles using a smaller cutter for the lids.Put the bases into the oiled tin.
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
Fill each base with around a dessertspoon of your mincemeat. Don’t overfill as this will cause leaks!
Beat an egg in a small bowl, then brush on the beaten egg around the edges of the mince pie bases, to help the lids to seal.Then put the smaller lids onto the top of the mince pies, and press down around the edges to seal.Brush over the top of each mince pie with the beaten egg.
1 egg
If you have pastry left over from cutting out the lids and bases, roll it together into a ball then roll out with a dusted rolling pin and cut out some more bases and lids. You should have enough for 2 or 3 more mince pies. Prepare them as above.
Bake at 180 degrees (C) for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned on top.Remove from the oven once cooked and allow to cool.
Using a sharp knife, run around the edge of each mince pie to loosen in case the mincemeat has leaked. Then use a small spoon or similar to push the mince pies out of the tin.
Place the mince pies on a cooling rack to cool fully. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or cold.
20 g icing sugar
Notes
Can these mince pies be frozen? Yes they freeze well. Store for up to 6 months.How much mincemeat will I use? There will be approx. half a jar of mincemeat left.