Gingerbread mince pies

• mincemeat↗400g g

  (ensure vegetarian, if needed)

• stem ginger↗50g g

  chopped, plus 1 tbsp ginger syrup from the jar

• plain flour↗250g g

  plus extra for dusting

• ground cinnamon↗¼ tsp tsp
• ground ginger↗½ tsp tsp
• cold unsalted butter↗125g g

  cut into small pieces

• golden caster sugar↗3 tbsp tbsp

  plus extra for sprinkling

• egg↗1

  beaten

• 8cm round biscuit cutter
• mini gingerbread person biscuit cutter

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   For the pastry, tip the flour, spices and butter into a large bowl with a large pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingertips until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the egg and use a cutlery knife to mix everything until the ingredients start to clump together. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until you have a smooth dough. Or, pulse the ingredients together in a food processor. Shape into a disc, then wrap and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep chilled for a day or frozen for three months.

2. 2

   Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Mix the mincemeat with the ginger and syrup. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness. Stamp out 12 discs using an 8cm biscuit cutter and lightly press into a 12-hole cupcake tin.

3. 3

   Fill each pastry case with 1 tbsp of the mincemeat mixture. Re-roll the pastry scraps and stamp out 12 mini gingerbread people, then place one on top of each pie. Will keep frozen for up to two months.

4. 4

   Bake for 20 mins, or 30 mins from frozen. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Will keep in an airtight container for up to four days.