Ultimate Fruit Mince Tarts

Who doesn’t love a mince tart fresh out of the oven on Christmas morning? Plus with a jar of your favourite fruit mince and our irresistible crumbly pastry recipe, you’re on your way to making the ultimate Christmas treat.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

2 tablespoons custard powder

1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar

185g cold butter, chopped

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons cold water, approximately

475g jar fruit mince

2 teaspoons Queen Natural Brandy Essence

1/4 cup (60g) glacé peaches, chopped finely

1/4 cup (60g) glacé apricots, chopped finely

1 teaspoon Queen Natural Orange Essence

2 teaspoons Queen Natural Lemon Essence

1 egg white, beaten lightly

1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1. Grease two 12-hole deep patty pan trays. Process the flour, custard powder, caster sugar and butter until crumbly. Add the egg yolk and just enough water to make ingredients cling together.

2. Knead pastry on a lightly floured surface until smooth, wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Roll two-thirds of the pastry between sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Cut 24 x 7.5cm rounds from pastry, re-rolling as necessary to make 24 rounds. Place rounds into greased trays, reserve the pastry scraps. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

4. Combine the fruit mince, brandy, glacé fruits and essences in a bowl.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C /180 degrees C fan-forced.

5. Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of fruit mince into pastry cases. Roll remaining pastry on a floured surface until 3mm thick. Using 4.5cm Christmas-tree and star cutters, cut out 12 trees and 12 stars. Place pastry shapes in centre of tarts. Brush pastry with egg white, sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned.

Are you a fan of fruit mince tarts or do you prefer more modern Christmas desserts?