Chocolate Brownie Mince Pies

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What You’ll Need:

  • 2x 100g (4oz) bars, dark chocolate
  • 75g (3oz) butter, unsalted
  • 175g (6oz) brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 50g (2oz) plain flour
  • 15g (½ oz) cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp Schwartz Crushed Chillies
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 400g (14oz) mincemeat
  • 2 green apples, peeled, cored and grated
  • 2 clementines, zest of
  • 2 tsp Schwartz Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Schwartz Ground Ginger
  • 500g pack shortcrust pastry

OR

  • 125g (4oz) plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 55g (2oz) butter, cubed
  • 30-45ml (2-3 tbsp) cold water

What To Do

For the pastry

  • Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter.
  • Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining.
  • Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together.
  • Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 10-15 minutes before using.

For the mince pies

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4.
  • Melt the one bar of dark chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before beating in the brown sugar, followed by the eggs one at a time.
  • Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder and combine. Sprinkle in the Crushed Chillies and salt.
  • Mix the mincemeat, apple and clementine zest, then sprinkle in the ground Cinnamon and Ginger.
  • Roll the pastry out to around 2mm thickness and cut 18 discs with a 9cm circle cutter. Using a star shape cutter cut an equal number to top the pie.
  • Arrange pastry discs inside a muffin tin.
  • Spoon one heaped teaspoon of mincemeat mixture at the bottom and press down, add a square of chocolate in the centre, followed by spooning one heaped teaspoon of brownie mixture on top. With a damp finger press the mixture towards the edges. Place a pastry star on top, rolled slightly thinner than the pastry case.
  • Place the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes then cook in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

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