Mince Pies

It's Christmas, so I thought I'd post a festive recipe. I prefer these to shop bought versions as they're not overly sweet. I think using a blend of wholemeal and white flour for the pastry creates a pleasant balance of lightness, texture and flavour.

Makes 12 mince pies.

Ingredients:
200g white plain flour
200g wholemeal plain flour
200g vegan margarine
3tbsp cold water (add a little more if the pastry is too stiff)
411g jar mincemeat (you may not need all the mincemeat. Most shop bought mincemeat is vegan, but check the ingredients).

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Grease a 12 hole bun tray/muffin tin with oil or margarine.
Mix the white and wholemeal flours together in a mixing bowl. Rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs in texture. Add the water and gently knead into a dough.
Roll the dough out until it is approximately 3mm thick. Use a 9cm circular pastry/cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles. Line the bun tray with the pastry circles. Put two teaspoons of mincemeat in each pastry circle. Use a 6.5cm pastry cutter to cut out another 12 circles, the top the pies with them. Use a sharp knife to cut an air vent in the top of each pie.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the bun tray whilst they are still warm.