All the taste of a mince pie, but so much easier to make.
These are a brilliant alternative to individual mince pies, which are more time-consuming to make. They deliver the same deliciousness without the faff. They freeze well, wrapped in clingfilm and foil, and are great served warm with clotted cream, custard or ice cream.
Christmas mince pie squares
Makes 16
Ingredients
For the filling
2 x 320g jars of mincemeat
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lime
1 tsp almond extract
For the pastry base
175g plain flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
Pinch of salt
100g cold butter, diced
For the crumbly topping
75g unsalted butter, diced
75g self-raising flour
40g semolina
40g demerara sugar
50g flaked toasted almonds
To serve
Icing sugar
Method
1. Grease and line a 23cm x 33cm baking tin. Preheat the oven to 180C (200C non-fan).
2. Put the mincemeat in a bowl with the ground cinnamon, ground mixed spice, orange and lime zest and almond extract. Mix everything well. Set aside while you make the pastry base.
3. Add the plain flour, icing sugar, salt and butter to a food processor. Blitz to a crumby mixture. Add a few tablespoons of cold water to bring the dough together. As soon as it does come together, tip it onto a floured surface and roll out until it is slightly larger than the baking tin.
4. Line the tin with the pastry, then spread the spiced mincemeat over it in an even layer.
5. To make the crumbly topping, put the unsalted butter, self-raising flour, semolina, demerara sugar and flaked toasted almonds in a bowl and, using your hands, bring the mixture together into delicious uneven clumps. Sprinkle over the mincemeat layer.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry and topping are golden. Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely. Dust generously with icing sugar and cut into 16 equal-sized squares before serving.