mince pies

I made these mince pies with my boyfriend last night and they were so yummy and very easy to make!

Ingredients:
8oz of flour
4oz of margarine
3 or 4 teaspoons of cold water
A jar of mince meat
Sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6
2. Measure out the flour and pour into a bowl.
3. Measure out the margarine (leave it out of the fridge for a few minutes to allow it to become soft) and cut it into small chunks and put them in the bowl containing the flour.
4. Use your fingertips to rub the flour and butter into a breadcrumb like consistency.
5. Add 3 or 4 teaspoons of cold water to the mixture, stirring each one in before adding the next, until it has become dough like.
6. Sprinkle your worktop with flour and roll out the dough. Cut it in half, using the first half to create the base of the mince pies.
7. Cut out the bases for the mince pies using a circular cookie cutter, I managed to make just over 12. Put these dough bases into a cupcake tray.
8. Put about half a teaspoon of mince meat on the bases.
9. Using the other half of the dough, cut out the tops for the mince pies. We chose star and heart cutters but I’m sure most shapes would work! Once cut out, pop the tops on to of the mince meat to complete the mince pie.
10. Sprinkle each mince pie with a bit of sugar and then bake in them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

And there you go, a lovely festive treat!