Brownie mince pies

Method

1. Put all the mincemeat ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl with cling film, then put in the fridge to soak for at least a week (see Make Ahead below and tips).
2. To make the pastry, use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to cream the unsalted butter and 75g golden caster sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, then 25ml water. Add the 250g flour in 3 parts and stop mixing as soon as the flour is fully incorporated (overmixing will make your pastry tough and cause it to shrink when baking). Cover the bowl, then chill for 1 hour to firm up.
3. Knead the chilled pastry dough on a lightly floured surface for 1 minute or until smooth and pliable. Roll out until 3mm thick, then cut out discs using an 8-10cm cutter and use to line a 12-hole muffin tin (the pastry should stick out over the top of the holes by 3mm or so). Chill the pie cases for 20 minutes.
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4. Meanwhile make the brownie topping. Melt the salted butter and syrup in a pan over a medium heat, then stir in the sugar for 3-4 minutes until dissolved. Take the pan off the heat, add the chocolate and mix well. Add all the eggs, mixing well. Beat in the flour to combine.
5. Preheat the oven to 175°C/fan155°C/gas 3½. Add 1 tbsp of the mincemeat to each pastry case, pressing it flat. Spoon on the brownie mix (about ½ tbsp) to 5mm below the top of the pastry, to allow for rising, then decorate as you like. You’ll have quite a lot of mix leftover, which you can chill/freeze for another time (see Make Ahead) or use to make a batch of brownies (see tip).
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before carefully turning out. Eat warm or at room temperature.