Cranberry, orange and almond mince pies

Method

1. To make the mincemeat, mix the sultanas, raisins and cranberries in a large bowl. Add the orange and lemon zest and juice, vegetable suet, golden caster sugar, brandy and spices, then mix thoroughly. Coarsely grate the apple, then immediately stir into the dried fruit mixture. Cover the bowl with a tea towel, then leave to stand for a few hours (preferably overnight), stirring regularly.
2. To make the pastry, put the 225g flour and 125g butter into the bowl of a food processor with a pinch of salt, then pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the 75g ground almonds and the icing sugar, then pulse again. Beat the egg yolks with 10ml water, then add to the mixture. Mix until it forms a soft dough, taking care not to overmix. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by hand in a large mixing bowl.) Tip the pastry onto a work surface, shape into a rough disc, then wrap in cling film, taking care not to handle it too much. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Grease a 12-14 hole mince pie tin with a little butter. To make the crumble topping, put the 25g flour, ground almonds, soft brown sugar and 25g butter in a bowl. Work with your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then squish some of the mixture together to form lumps. Gently mix in the flaked almonds.
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4. Roll the chilled pastry out on a floured work surface to 3-4mm thick. Use a 7cm round fluted pastry cutter to cut out 12-14 discs. Put them carefully into the mince pie tins, then gently press down in the centre.
5. Fill each pastry case with a heaped teaspoon of the mincemeat, then spoon over the crumble topping. Cook on the middle rack of the oven for 15-17 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. If the crumble starts browning too quickly, move to a lower rack in the oven. Take the pies out of the oven, then leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.