Christmas festivities

If you read my last post, about my quest to make lower fat pastry so that I can enjoy my favourite mince pies without feeling guilty, then you’ll be pleased to know that the recipe is here!

The recipe is easy to make and you can use any jar of homemade or bought mincemeat that you have available. I’m not 100% sure on the calorie content of these (ideas welcome), but the fact that they’ve got considerably less fat in than full pastry ones and that I’ve been able to control it has made me happier.

Best of all, I’ve been able to serve these special mince pies to friends and family and they’ve not even noticed that they’re not ‘real’! For me, that’s a sure sign of success for a diet food.

Special Lower Fat Mince Pies Recipe

227g plain flour
113g butter or margarine, chopped into small pieces (I’ve tried it with both of these, or a mix of butter and margarine, and both work fine)
Pinch of salt
Water
Low calorie cooking spray, such as Frylight
Mincemeat

Healthier mince pies

The pastry is made in the usual way, by gently chopping and rubbing the butter or margarine into the flour, until it forms a crumb-like mixture. Then add a few tablespoons of cold water – enough so that you can form the mixture into a solid ball, but one that isn’t too sloppy or sticky. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for about half an hour.

Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out thinly onto a floured surface (the thin part is important, as you want to make the most of these being lower fat mince pies!). Depending on the thinness of your pastry, you can get between 18 and 32 standard sized mince pies out of the mixture – I used a 3 inch fluted cutter.

I tried some ultra small, bite size tarts, and the mixture makes loads of these – or you could make some standard and some small. Spray a bun tin with the low calorie cooking spray, then gently place in your rounds and fill with a teaspoon of mincemeat. Rather than a pastry lid, I cut out Christmas pastry stars and popped these on top of the mincemeat.

Glaze the mince pies with a small dash of milk, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven, 190C/Gas Mark 5. The mince pies will be ready when the pastry has gone a golden colour and looks crisp.

Cool on a wire rack then enjoy – nom, nom, nom!

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