Method
1. Firstly place all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir. Then add all the liquid and grated apple and allow to soak for at least one week in a one kilogram kilner jar sat in the fridge or cupboard.
2. Once your mixture has marinated for around a week, they are ready to bake.
3. Set the oven to 190° C (375° F, gas mark 5).
4. Roll some sweet pastry into a sheet of around two to three millimetres thick, and place on a tray. This then needs to go into the fridge to rest.
5. Once rested, cut tops and bottoms for the mince pies using fluted or plain cutters and select the sizes to fit the chosen tin.
6. Place the pie bases into the tin and prick around the edges with a small knife or pork to prevent the pastry from rising during the baking process.
7. Then around a teaspoon of the home-made mincemeat mixture needs to be added into the base.
8. After, take a light egg wash and paste it around the edges to enable the lids to stick down.
9. Place the mince pies in the fridge for another 30 minutes before adding the top of the pastry and egg washing it again.
10. Then, take a small knife and prick a hole into the top to allow the steam to escape and so that they don’t explode.
11. You can then also sprinkle it with sugar now so that it caramelises in the oven.
12. Place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake them for around 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
13. Remove from oven and allow them to cool before removing the pies from the tin.
14. Lastly, sprinkle them with a dusting of icing sugar to add a decorative touch to them.