Mary Berry’s mince pies recipe – how to make the Bake Off queen’s festive treats

WITH Christmas coming a lot of us are spending more time in the kitchen.

Preparing a Christmas feast can be hard work so you want to save time where you can.

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But there are some essentials you can prepare on Christmas Eve, ready to be cooked the next day.

So I’ve gathered together my festive recipes and a few snippets of wisdom gained over the years to make your Christmas cooking easier and less stressful.

I wish you very happy cooking, a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.

Catch more tips on Mary Berry Saves Christmas on BBC One. 

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Mince pies (serves 18)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 175g plain flour
• 75g butter, cut into cubes
• 25g icing sugar
• Finely grated rind 1 orange
• 1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

• 350g mincemeat
• 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
• Icing or caster sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas mark 6.

These are traditional mince pies with a pastry top and bottom, but I use a star cutter for the top – so much more jolly and slightly less pastry, too!

If you are feeling festive, you could also cut out holly or Christmas tree shapes and use these to top the mince pies.

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Method:

1. To make the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar and grated orange rind into a food processor bowl and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour in the beaten egg and pulse the blade until the dough starts to form a ball. Knead lightly by hand on a floured board.
2. Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured work surface and cut out
   18 rounds using a 7.5cm fluted cutter. Use these to line 18 holes of two 12-hole bun tins. Spoon a generously heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case.
3. Re-roll the pastry trimmings and cut out 18 stars using a 4.5-5cm star cutter. Put a star on top of the mincemeat, and brush the pastry with a little beaten egg.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool slightly and dust with icing sugar or caster sugar before serving.

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Preparing ahead:

Bake the mince pies, but don’t dust with icing or caster sugar.

Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When needed, place the pies on a baking tray and reheat in the oven preheated to 160ºC/140ºC fan/gas mark 3 for 8-10 minutes.

To freeze the pies after baking, prepare to the end of step four, but don’t dust with icing or caster sugar.

Pack into a rigid plastic container and freeze for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then warm through as directed above.

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