This is my mums mince pie recipe which must be at least 20 years old. Hacks are mine.
The pastry is lush !
200g Plain Flour
40g Golden Caster Sugar
75g Ground Almonds
125g cubed butter
1 large egg , beaten
12 oz Mincemeat (jar) or homemade.
First hack , if using jar a few hours before making , put mincemeat in a bowl , chop up some glace cherries and add to mincemeat with a handful of dried fruit. Glug in your favourite booze brandy, whisky , disaronno etc.
Put sugar, flour , ground almonds, butter in a food processor and wizz. Gradually add egg whilst running to bring together. If no processor , rub in butter to flour , add ground almonds & sugar , stir together gradually add egg , bring together to make pastry.
Put pastry in plastic bag or cling film and put in fridge to chill ( 20 mins or so )
Hack No.2
Get two pieces of cling film, lay one out on work service , lightly flour. Take pastry out of fridge , cut a third off. Put larger piece , on cling film and another cling film on top and roll out thinly. Using pastry cutter cut out 12 disks, rerolling pastry if necessary. Do same with smaller pastry cutter for the pastry lids using smaller piece of pastry.
Now - if baking same day. Grease bun tin put 12 of larger disks in. Spoon generous teaspoons of mincemeat in and then top with smaller pastry case . Put a little water on underside of risk to help seal. Use the prongs of a fork on outside edge to seal together. Make a little slit using a knife in middle of each mince pie. Again if baking same day , brush with milk and sprinkle a tiny pinch of sugar on top.
Chill in fridge for 10 minutes .
Cook in preheated oven 200° for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly in tin before removing to cool.
If freezing. Don't grease tin, make as above but don't brush with milk or sugar. Place tin /mince pies in freezer and freeze until frozen. They should come out of tin fine. Store in a container in freezer until needed. When wanted take out of freezer . Grease same time as made in. Place in tin , defrost for about an hour , brush with milk , sprinkle with sugar and cook as above.
I make two batches of pastry , make one up and bake same day. Store pastry in fridge for a day or two. Then make up 2nd batch and freeze.
Merry Christmas.