Chocolate Brownie Mince Pies (with homemade fruit mince)

I believe if you are going to indulge in sugar it should at least be worth it. Nothing upsets me more than biting into a piece of confectionery only to be disappointed or underwhelmed. All that sugar, (basically crack for your body) and those empty calories for what? 

A local supermarket chain is selling chocolate brownie mince pies this year and they sounded like they were going to be well worth the sugar hit. They were for the most part good. Most people would be perfectly happy with them but I figured if you going to promise me a brownie and a mince pie, I want to be able to actually taste the chocolate, to feel the gooey brownie centre and then have the tartness of fruit mince soften the richness. So I set out to see if I could create a homemade version that lived up to the promise and I think I have it. I call them "one-and-you're-done" mince pies. 

I made my own fruit mince (it is super easy I promise and it means you can have more control of the amount of sugar  and other additives in the final product) but if you in a rush or just don't want to you can always skip this step buy it pre-made from the supermarket.

Fruit Mince

Ingredients: 

1 cup raisins

1 cup dried fruit of your choice - fruit with a bit of natural tartness works best (Apricots, plums etc)

Zest from 1 lemon

100 g butter

100 ml water

A good splash of brandy/sherry/rum (pick you poison or leave out if you wish)

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

Method:

Fruit Mince Ingredients

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and place on a medium heat. 

 Combined Ingredients

Step Two: Once bubbling reduce heat and simmer on a low heat stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes or until the liquid is reduced. Bare in mind it will thicken up further on cooling, as the sugars from the fruit crystallise, so you don't need to push it too far.  

Finished Fruit Mince

Chocolate Brownie Mince Pies 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade

Ingredients:

For the pastry
250 g plain flour
125 g unsalted butter, in pieces

1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the filling
100 g dark chocolate lightly chopped (I used one with almonds in to add nuts to the recipe)

100 g soft butter
175 g light muscovado sugar

2 tbsp cocoa
2 large eggs
100 g plain flour
250 g fruit mince

Method:

Step 1:  Mix the plain flour, cocoa, butter and icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can use an electric mixer but I like to do this step with my hands,

Step 2: Mix the egg. When the pastry comes together into a soft dough bring it together in a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk (this makes rolling easier later) wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. 

Step 3: In a Separate bowl mix the butter and sugar with an an electric mixer to combine. Gradually add the lightly beaten eggs, still mixing. Add the plain flour and cocoa. Mix until combined. Fold in the lightly chopped chocolate. 

Step 4: Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out  to about 2 mm on a floured surface. Use a fluted cookie cutter to stamp out rounds. I used a 9 cm one but it will depend on the size of your muffin tray. Carefully place the rounds into a greased and floured muffin tray.

Rolling Out the Pastry

Step 5: Put a spoonful of the brownie filling into each pastry case and top with a spoon of fruit mince.

Mince Pie in Progress

Step 6: You can either cover the brownies with another round of pastry at this point (remembering) to prick holes in the top with a fork or cut strips of pastry into pasterns and place them on top of the pie.

Step 7: Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 deg C. Cool on a drying rack before serving. 

Homemade Merlot, Rosemary and Black Pepper Salt

Its that time of year when fridges are groaning, homes are full and cooking is taking place almost 24/7. Everyone seems to be running around looking for the perfect gift for Aunty Mavis, tracking down that free range turkey or stressing about what to get your husband's third-cousin-twice-removed.

This year I decided to make Merlot-infused cooking salts for my family, friends and those people I don't know well enough to shop for. It is super easy and frankly wine infused anything is normally a hit. A few cracks of this is good on lamb roasts or chops, steaks, stews, pasta sauces, potatoes or even on salads. 

What you will need (makes 10):

1 kg course salt

200 g whole pepper corns

1 bunch of fresh rosemary - I just picked about 6 large branches out my garden

1 bottle of Red Wine - I used an organic Merlot

10 salt grinder bottles - you can either buy them empty or alternatively you can buy them filled with course salt at your supermarket and use the salt inside in this recipe

1 packet printable labels

Instructions:

Step 1: Place the bottle of wine in a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow the wine to reduce down until you have about 50ml left (it should be thicker but not syrupy). 

Step 2: Take off the heat and add the salt and the peppercorns to the reduced wine mixing thoroughly. 

Step 3: Spread the salt into a large roasting or baking tray (one with deep sides will work best) and place in the oven. Place the fresh rosemary in the oven on a rack above the salt (so any pieces that fall off as it dries are caught). 

Step 4: Turn the oven on to the lowest temperature possible. I let the the oven warm up to its lowest setting and then switch the oven off and leave the salt to dry overnight. 

Step 5: Check the salt is dry it might be little bit tacky but as long as its not damp its ready. If necessary place back in the oven and repeat step 4. 

Step 6: Crumble the rosemary leaves into the salt and mix thoughtfully. Discard the rosemary branches. 

Step 7: Fill your salt grinders up with the mix (you will probably find you have extra).

Step 8: Most printable labels will come with instructions on how to import a template into word so you can create and print you custom labels at home. I wanted to use Microsoft Publisher for mine so I added the template in word and then imported it into publisher to create my labels. If this all seems too much effort you can always buy blank labels and hand write them for a personal touch. 

Let me know how you went and if you have any trouble with this recipe or ideas to improve it in the comments below. Happy creating!