​I can eat mince pies from December through to February. I love making mince pies with homemade mincemeat and I also like making Viennese whirls so I decided to try the two together and it really works. The buttery topping with a little crunch combines well with the sweet soft spiced mincemeat and crisp pastry.

Skill level- Easy
Preparation time- mincemeat takes 1 hour but if you make a batch then this will speed
things up,
pastry takes 5 minutes to make and 30 minutes chilling
Viennese mixture takes 10 minutes
Assembly 5 minutes
Baking 15-20 minutes

What you will need
2 mince pie 12 hole tins or muffin tins greased with a little oil
3 1/2 fluted pastry cutter
Star piping nozzle/tip

For the mincemeat
2 medium sized
chopped tart apples such as Bramley, around 150g when peeled and cored
50g dried cranberries, chopped
50g dried cherries
100g rasins
150g sultanas
25g Californian pre soaked prunes chopped small
150g light brown sugar
30g butter
150ml cider
Zest and juice of an orange and a lemon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly
grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons orange liqueur, or 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice if you prefer
not to use alcohol.

METHOD
To make the mincemeat

1. Peel and grate the apples and place in a large pan with the brown sugar, cider, zest and juice of the orange and lemon.Stir well and place on a medium heat. Gradually bring to the boil, stirring frequently until the apples are soft.
2. Add the butter, dried fruits and spices to the pan, stir well and simmer until thickened (30-40 minutes).
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cool stir in the brandy and the orange liqueur, or the orange juice.
4. The mincemeat can be packed into jars or into fridge containers until needed

For the sweet short crust pastry
250g plain flour plus a little extra for rolling out
50g icing sugar, and a little more for dusting the finished pies
Pinch of salt
150g unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cut into small dice size pieces
2 egg yolks (18g ), lightly beaten
30ml ice cold water
For the Viennese topping
250g unsalted butter softened
60g icing sugar
215g plain flour
Half a teaspoon vanilla extract

Set the oven for 190C , 180C fan, 375F, gas mark 5

​To make the pastry by hand

1. Rub the fat into the flour, icing sugar and salt until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Make a well in the middle of the of the mixture and pour in the egg yolk and a little of the water sufficient to bind the pastry into a firm dough. Flours vary and you may need all of the water.
3. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly ( I find about 20-30 turns of the pastry will get it nice and smooth) .Roll the pastry into a flattish round the size of a tea plate, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour if you have time but 15 minutes would also work.

To make the pastry in a processor

1. Place the flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl and combine with a 2 second burst. Add the diced butter and blitz until it cannot be seen as pieces anymore. Slowly add the egg yolks and then the water. The pastry should come together as a ball, in less than a minute.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly ( I find about 20-30 turns of the pastry will get it nice and smooth) .
3. Roll the pastry into a flattish round the size of a tea plate, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour if you have time but 15 minutes would also work.
4. Whilst the pastry is resting make the Viennese mixture.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5.
6. Place the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat well until pale and fluffy. Sieve in the flour and cornflour and beat well, until thoroughly mixed.
7. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle.

To assemble the mince pies

1. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin/dollar, cut rounds with the fluted pastry cutter, roll out the pastry again you should have 18 -20 rounds and place them in the greased pie tins.
2. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry rounded then tap down the tin to level off the mincemeat mixture.
3. Pipe a swirl of Viennese mixture onto each pie making sure to cover all of the mincemeat.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes, until pale golden in colour. Cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
5. Place in an airtight container , they will keep fresh for a week or you may wish to freeze them, they can be frozen for 2 months.