Christmas Tarts

Do you have extra Christmas mincemeat that you need to use up. My family loves this recipe as an alternative to Christmas Mince pies. I baked these for our Christmas day lunch with friends and they were devoured long before the traditional mince pies!

Tip: double the pastry recipe and line a muffin tin with the pastry rounds. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Then use the pastry to make another dozen tarts.

Pastry:
85g flour
15g ground almonds
33g icing sugar
pinch of salt
65g cold butter
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1/2T iced water

Place the flour, almonds, icing sugar and salt into a food processor. Pulse to mix the ingredients. Add the butter and mix until the texture is crumbly. Add the egg a little at a time until the pastry comes together as if to form a ball. Press together to form one piece and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease 12 medium size muffin tins.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry and cut out 12 circles. Place each circle in the muffin tin. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

Filling:
100g mincemeat (I use my homemade recipe from my blog)
6t apricot jam
1 large egg
1/2t vanilla extract
45g castor sugar
45g butter, melted
45g dessicated coconut

Beat the eggs and sugar together. Add the vanilla. Pour in the melted butter beating gently as you do. Add the coconut.
Place a teaspoon of mincemeat in each pastry shell. Top with 1/2t apricot jam and pour over the coconut mixture.
Bake at 200C for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve on the day you make them. Makes 12.