A NEW TWIST ON THE MINCE PIE!

I found this recipe on Tesco’s website: Tesco Viennese Whirl mince pies, and had to try it out. I don’t know which genius decided to combine mince pies with Viennese whirls, but hats off my friend. They were amazing!

Try my Fig, Ginger & Chocolate Mincemeat or Pear, Caramel, and Rum Mincemeat to make these mince pies super scrumptious!

RECIPE: Viennese Whirl Mince Pies

MAKES: 12

INGREDIENTS:

• 300g (approx.) MINCEMEAT, shop-bought or homemade

For the pastry: (This makes enough pastry for 2 batches – 24 pies – so freeze half for later)

• 200g PLAIN FLOUR
• 50g GROUND ALMONDS
• 125g BUTTER, chilled and cubed
• 50g ICING SUGAR
• 1 EGG, beaten

For the Viennese whirl topping:

• 150g BUTTER, softened
• 150g PLAIN FLOUR
• 15g CORNFLOUR
• 30g ICING SUGAR
• 1 tsp. ALMOND EXTRACT
• ½ ORANGE, zest and juice

METHOD:

1. First make the pastry: Put the FLOUR, GROUND ALMONDS, ICING SUGAR and BUTTER in a blender and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the EGG and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. Tip onto a work surface and gently press it together into a flat disc. Halve the dough, wrapping both in clingfilm.  Put one in the freezer for later, and the other in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. After chilling, roll out the pastry and cut out circles with an 8cm cutter. Carefully press into your muffin tin. Then, divide the MINCEMEAT between the pastry cases.
3. For the Viennese whirl topping: Put the softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat. Add the PLAIN FLOUR, CORNFLOUR and ICING SUGAR, and continue beating until smooth and fluffy. Then beat in the ALMOND EXTRACT, ORANGE ZEST and JUICE. The mixture should be thick, but have enough give in it to allow you to pipe it on top of the pies. If you feel it needs to be a little looser, add a TEASPOON or two of WATER.
4. Put the Viennese whirl topping into a piping bag and fit it with a star nozzle. Pipe whirls on top of your mincemeat. Preheat your oven to 180c. Then, chill the pies for half an hour (this helps the whirls to maintain their shape in the oven).
5. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 180c. Leave in the tin for a few minutes before removing to cool completely. Or eat them warm straight away, because, well, warm mince pies are THE BEST!

See also my Mince Pie Crumbles for another fab recipe!