For the mince meat:
300g Mixed dried fruit
Zest and juice of one large orange
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 Bramley apple. (Peeled, cored, and finely chopped)
100g Soft brown sugar
150ml Boiling water
75g Dried cranberries
70g Mixed peel
70g Dried Apricots (chopped)
50g Chopped dried cherries
100g Vegetable suet
1tbsp Malt extract
55g Malted wheat flakes
For the pastry:
375g Plain flour
1tbsp Nuttimalt
250g Unsalted butter
2tbsp Caster sugar
1 medium egg
1tbsp milk
Preheat oven: 160oc Fan, 180oc conventional, Gas mark 3
For the mincemeat.
Add all the ingredients in the order shown (adding the juice of the citrus fruit before the apple will stop it browning so quickly) into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat until the sugar and suet have fully dissolved. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning to the base of the pan.
If you are planning on using the mincemeat on the same day; allow it to cool for an hour as it will allow the mixture to thicken; otherwise, fill the mixture whilst it is hot into sterilised jars. Leave in a cool dry place and use within a month.
For the pastry:
Rub together the flour and the butter either by hand or in a food processor to a crumb consistency. Briefly mix in the Nuttimalt, followed by the caster sugar. Add beaten egg and milk and bring them together to form a dough. Roll into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Roll the pastry to approx. 3mm thick; and using a cookie cutter, cut out bases large enough to line the inside of your muffin tin. Followed by lids of a slightly smaller size to sit neatly on top. Fill with the mincemeat to approx. ¾ full. Brush the edge of each pie with a little egg and place a lid on top of each pie and gently push down. Brush with egg.
Bake in the oven for approx. 15-20 minutes or until the pies start to look golden. Allow to cool down before removing, transferring to a wire rack and dusting with sugar.
