Easy florentine mince pies

MAKES 14 PREP 20 mins COOK 20 mins EASY

V115g mincemeat (ensure vegetarian,

if needed)

1 orange, zested

1½ tbsp bourbon or orange juice 30g ground almonds

60g glacé cherries,

roughly chopped

375g sheet of ready-rolled

shortcrust pastry

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp demerara sugar

50g dark chocolate 1 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. 2 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. 3 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.

4 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.

PER SERVING 205 kcals • fat 12g • saturates 4g •

carbs 21g • sugars 8g • fibre 2g • protein 3g • salt 0.2g