I hope you enjoy this lovely Christmas recipe which is an alternative to a mince pie!  A friend of mine made this for me a number of years ago and since then I have made it every year…..with a little addition – Cointreau.  It can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for a few days (if it lasts!) or can be frozen.  It is lovely served with clotted or ice cream.

Makes around 18 – 24 depending on what size you want.

Ingredients

230g soft butter

100g caster sugar

40g soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Zest from one orange

330g plain flour

½ tsp salt

500g mincemeat

1 tbsp Cointreau (optional)

1 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees and line a 20cm square tin with parchment paper
2. In a food processor beat together the soft butter and both sugars until lighter in colour
3. Add in the vanilla essence, orange zest and mix again. Then fold in the flour and salt to form a soft dough
4. Press two thirds of the dough into the lined tin, making sure you have an evenish surface
5. Next, spread a layer of mincemeat on top
6. Take the remaining dough and crumble it over the mincemeat
7. Pop into the oven for about 45 minutes until golden and the filling is bubbling
8. Remove from the oven and drizzle the Cointreau on top, then sprinkle with the demerara sugar
9. Leave it to cool slightly before removing it from the tin and cutting
10. Serve hot or cold depending on your preference