Mincecuits (Biscuit Mince Pies!)
I can't take much credit for these: the idea came from my mum, and the 'pastry' is the biscuit dough recipe from the Biscuiteers. If you haven't heard of the Biscuiteers, Google them immediately - their designs are so creative and their biscuits make great gifts. For friends' birthdays, I like to send a single biscuit instead of a card.
Ingredients
- Pastry dough (see link below)
- Medium jar mincemeat
- White chocolate
- Food colouring
- Chocolate matchsticks
For the ‘pastry’
I used the fabulous recipe by the Biscuiteers here.
Simply make up the dough, chill it until you’re ready to use it (it can also be frozen), roll out, stamp your shapes, fill your mince pie tins (use Yorkshire pudding tins) with the discs of dough, and chill again until you’re ready to bake.
When you want to bake them, fill the uncooked mince pie cases with mincemeat (don’t overfill). To pimp shop-bought mincemeat, simply stir in brandy and some chopped cherries.
For the top of the mince pies, you could cut out whole discs, Christmas shapes, or leave them bare (to decorate when they come out of the oven – see below).
For the chocolate Christmas trees
Inspired by Lakeland, I melted white chocolate, used liquid food colouring to colour it green, and piped/drizzled it over Matchstick chocolate ‘trunks’, spaced apart on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Leave in a cool place to set (in the fridge if you’re in a rush).
For the toppings
For the mince pies without a biscuit topper, I decorated them in a few different ways:
- A white chocolate ‘Jazzles’ star
- A thick layer of icing: for speedy, spoonable icing, simply grab a packet of shop-bought roll-out fondant, add a splash or two of recently boiled water, and mix up using an electric whisk.
- Christmas trees – see above. I stuck the trunks into the icing, and then sprinkled the tops with various sprinkles, including mini sugar snowflakes (from Amazon) and Glamour & Sparkle sprinkles from Dr Oetker.
- Edible ivy, holly, and holly berries – made from flower paste (available in Sainsbury’s), dusted with edible dusts, and finished with edible varnish, for a realistic shine.
|
|
Don't forget to leave some out for Father Christmas!
