SHORT & SWEET

Bake these irresistible hazelnut crunch mince pies

Makes 12 Prep 30 mins plus chilling Cook 20 mins

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 100g chopped hazelnuts 75g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 140g cold butter, cut into cubes 1 egg, separated FOR THE FILLING 400g good-quality mincemeat 1 small eating apple, grated 1 orange, zested

1 Put the flour, half the hazelnuts, the icing sugar and butter in a food processor and blitz to a sandy texture. Add the egg yolk and 1-2 tbsp water, and blitz briefly until the dough clumps together. Tip out onto a work surface and knead the dough a little until smooth. Flatten to a disc, wrap, then chill for 30 mins.

2 Mix the mincemeat, apple and orange zest in a bowl. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thickness. Stamp out 12 circles with a 10cm fluted cookie cutter and use to line a 12-hole muffin tin.

3 Fill each pie with the mincemeat mixture. Re-roll the pastry trimmings to the same thickness as before. Stamp out six circles using an 8cm cutter, and six stars. Put the remaining hazelnuts in a dish and whisk the egg white in another. Brush a little egg white around the inner rim of each pie, then brush one side of each pastry lid, and the stars. Press each lid into the hazelnuts, egg-side down, so they stick, then lightly press on top of the pies, nutty-side up. Repeat with the stars and place these on the remaining pies.

4 Bake for 20 mins or until golden. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then transfer to wire rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving. Will keep in a sealed container for up to three days.

PER PIE 347 kcals, fat 17g, saturates 7g, carbs 43g, sugars 27g, fibre 2g, protein 4g, salt 0.2g