Pecan and Cranberry ‘Mince’ Pies

These ‘mince’ pies do have some dried fruit in the form of dried cranberries. Although, I make the case against dried fruit above, here they give just a subtle nuance to make people think, ahh, its like a mince pie, but better!

Pre-heat the oven to 160C, Gas 4

1. Prepare the pastry. If stored in the refrigerator, let the pastry come to room temperature or put in the microwave for 10 seconds. Roll out on a floured surface cover with flour and lightly roll to flatten and even out. Use the cutter to cut as many cases as possible. Then use the star cutter to get stars from usable areas of the scraps. Gather the scraps and roll-out repeatedly until you have twelve cases and stars. This should be possible from one sheet of ready-made.

2. Fill the baking tin. Place the cases in the baking tin and shape each one to have neat edges, ensuring the pastry is firmly pushed into the shape of the tin. Prod the bases with a fork and bake blind for 5-10minutes. Watch to make sure they do not burn. Let them cool.

3. Make the filling. Beat eggs and sugars until light and blended, add the treacle and and blend until smooth, add the eggs and the vanilla and salt and mix again until smooth. Add the chopped nuts and cranberries and stir until well mixed.

4. Fill the cases. Using a large spoon fill the pastry cases, just level with the top. Place the stars on top of the pies.

5. Bake the pies. This should take about 15-20 minutes. But check as they are baking to make sure they do not burn. My pie-filling had a crusty top, when the stars were just beginning to colour. Leave in the tin for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar.