Cheat’s Mince Pies with a Secret Twist
Cheat's Mince Pies with a Secret Twist make the most of ready-made pastry and mincemeat with the gourmet addition of almonds, brandy and a spoonful of cottage cheese! Just delicious!
Servings 12
Equipment
- 1 12 hole patty tin tray
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Set of pastry cutters
- 1 medium sized bowl
- 1 Set of measuring spoons
- 1 Pastry brush
- 1 Dusting wand (or small sieve)
- 1 Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- generous ½ jar mincemeat
- 20 g blanched almonds chopped
- 1 - 3 tsp brandy
- 320 g pack short crust pasty sheet rested at room temperature for 15 minutes
- 6 tsp cottage cheese
- milk for glazing
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200ºC.
- Place the mincemeat, chopped almonds and brandy into a bowl and mix well.
- Grease a 12 hole patty tin tray.
- Unroll the pastry sheet and give it a quick roll with a rolling pin to stretch slightly.
- Use a 7.5 cm fluted pastry cutter to cut out 12 circles (you’ll need to gather up the pastry and re-roll with a dusting of flour) and fill the patty tin with the pastry circles.
- Fill each pastry circle with mincemeat and top with ½ tsp of cottage cheese.
- Roll out the rest of the pastry and using a 6 cm fluted cutter cut out 12 circles, brush edges with water and press onto the bases.
- Cut a hole with a table knife into the top of each pie to allow steam to escape (I would give it a slight twist too as the hole seems to seal up).
- Brush the tops with milk and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.
- Transfer mince pies to a cooling rack.
- Serve warm or cold dusted with icing sugar.
Notes
If you prefer you can use ready-made puff pastry in this recipe.