Easy Florentine Mince Pies Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., For filling, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Add apples, apricot, brown sugar, raisins, apple juice, vinegar, orange zest and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until apples are tender, 15-17 minutes. Stir in rum. Remove from heat; cool slightly., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut 20 circles with a floured 2-3/4-in. round biscuit cutter. Top half the circles with 1 tablespoon filling. Top with remaining circles; press edges with a fork to seal. Cut slits in top. Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the mincemeat, orange zest, bourbon or orange juice, ground almonds and cherries together in a medium bowl.
• Unravel the pastry on its baking parchment and stamp out as many circles as you can using an 8cm round cutter. Re-roll the offcuts and stamp out more circles until all the pastry has been used (you should get about 14 in total). Spoon 1 tsp of the mincemeat mixture into the middle of each circle, leaving a 2cm border. Gently fold the edges of the exposed pastry inwards to slightly cover the filling.
• Transfer the pies to the lined baking sheet, spaced slightly apart. Brush the pastry with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 18-20 mins until golden brown, then leave to cool slightly.
• While the pies cool, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in 20-second bursts in the microwave, or melt in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl isn't touching the water. Drizzle over the pies before serving. Will keep in an airtight container for three days.