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Chocolate-mince-pies
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Chocolate and Cherry Mince Pies with Sloe Gin Butter

Festive and delicious mince pies with a boozy, chocolately twist.
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 12 mince pies
Author: Lizzie Somerset

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • food processor
  • stand mixer with whisk attachment
  • 10cm & 7cm circle cutter
  • sterilised jar
  • sieve
  • 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin
  • Rolling Pin

Ingredients

  • 175 g dried cherries
  • 75 g mixed dried fruit
  • 4 tbsp kirsch
  • 40 g chopped hazelnuts
  • 70 g beef or vegetable suet
  • 1 whole zest and juice of an orange
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger

Chocolate Pastry

  • 280 g plain flour
  • 60 g cocoa powder
  • 125 g icing sugar plus extra for dusting
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 200 g cold unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 medium eggs + 1 egg for brushing

Sloe Gin Butter

  • 250 g room temp butter
  • 75 g sieved icing sugar
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 75 ml sloe gin

Instructions

For the Cherry Mincemeat

  • Place the cherries, dried fruit and kirsch in a bowl and give it a good mix, cover and leave to soak overnight. The following day add the rest of the ingrediants and place in a saucepan. Heat gently until it's just boiling and everything has melted together. At this point you can store the mincemeat in a steralised jar to mature it but it also has a lovely flavour to use right away once cold.

For the Chocolate Pastry

  • Sieve the flour, cocoa, icing sugar and salt and place into a food processor. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the flour mix. Blitz together til fine breadcrumbs form. This can also be done in a bowl by rubbing the flour mix and butter together with your fingers.
  • Add two eggs and vanilla and mix together until a soft dough forms. If it's dry, add a tbsp of cold water to bring it together. Don't overmix this will make the pastry tough.
  • Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
  • Heat the oven to 200c fan

To make the mince pies

  • Grease a 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin.
  • Roll out your chilled pastry until about 3mm thick.
  • Cut out 12 circles large enough to line the base of one hole and up the sides, approx a 10cm cutter should work and it depends on the size of the holes.
  • Place the pastry in the holes and fill them with 1 1/2 tsp of cherry mincemeat.
  • Beat an egg (or use the leftover egg if you have enough) and brush over the top of the pastry.
  • Re-roll the pastry if needed and cut out 12x 7cm lids and place on top by pressing round the edges to seal.
  • TOP TIP: Don't glaze the tops with egg as it leaves odd looking marks.
  • Cut a hole in the top and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry feels crisp.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.
  • Dust with extra icing sugar before serving.

For the Sloe Gin Butter

  • Place the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or a bowl with an electric hand whisk.
  • Beat the butter and sugar mixture until pale and fluffy.
  • Very slowly pour in the sloe gin.
  • TOP TIP: If you add this too quickly the mixture will split so the slower the better.
  • Once all the sloe gin has been incorporated spoon into a dish and refridgerate until need.
  • Enjoy!!!
  • Recipe created by Steve James of Steve James Personal Chef