mince pies We are all so busy - life seems to whiz past and before we know it, Christmas will be upon us. We love to be organised and the feeling that another job is done and can be ticked off the never-ending list, is such a great feeling! These mince pies are so easy and will keep for 2 months or so in the freezer and no one will ever know that they weren't made at the crack of dawn on Christmas day!

Ingredients:

• 500g block shortcrust pastry • plain flour, for dusting • 250g mincemeat • 1 egg, beaten • granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Mince Pies Recipe

This really is a cheats recipe as we bought the pastry as a block. Its just so easy and almost the best way to do a quick recipe which is homemade but takes no time! Step 1 Firstly, pre-heat your oven to 200-220°c fan. Then, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface so it is just a little thinner than a 50 pence piece.  .Rolling Pastry Next, cut out 12 circles that are around 8cm wide, keeping all the trimmings. Use the circles to line a 12-hole, non-stick bun tin. Step 3 Now, put a small spoonful of mincemeat in each one, but be careful not to put too much, as the pastry will melt and the mincemeat will bubble out if it has no room to spare. Step 4 Re-roll the pastry trimmings and cut out another 12 stars a little smaller than the last. You could try our star cookie cutter for this.  Step 5 Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg, then add pastry star lids. Mince pies ready When the tray is full, place in the freezer until the pies keep their shape. Roughly an hour or so. Then lift them out and place them into a freezer bag and place them back in the freezer until they are going to be brought out to eat at Christmas! Frozen mince pies They can be cooked straight from frozen and will take approx 15/20 mins. We have made 3 batches of these, repeating stages above and are fully stocked now for Christmas! Feeling very organised!