Unbelievably easy mince pies - Homemade Recipe

No rolling required! Press the raw, crumbly pastry directly into your tin for a short, biscuity finish. Our easiest mince pie recipe and great fun to make with kids. 

Ingredients:

225g cold butter, diced

350g plain flour

100g golden caster sugar

280g mincemeat

1 small egg, beaten

icing sugar, to dust

Procedure: 

STEP 1

To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt.

STEP 2

Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.

STEP 3

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole.

STEP 4

Spoon the mincemeat into the pies. Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies.

STEP 5

Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. Will keep frozen for up to one month.

STEP 6

Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg. Bake for 20 mins until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with the icing sugar. Will keep for three to four days in an airtight container.

Easy carrot cake - Homemade Recipe

Top this classic carrot cake with moreish icing and chopped walnuts or pecans. Serve as a sweet treat with a cup of tea any time of the day.

Ingredients:

230ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin

100g natural yogurt

4 large eggs

1½ tsp vanilla extract

½ orange, zested

265g self-raising flour

335g light muscovado sugar

2½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated

265g carrots (about 3), grated

100g sultanas or raisins

100g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)

For the icing: 

100g slightly salted butter, softened

300g icing sugar

100g soft cheese

Procedure: 

STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment. Whisk the oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and zest in a jug. Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg with a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Squeeze any lumps of sugar through your fingers, shaking the bowl a few times to bring the lumps to the surface.

STEP 2

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the carrots, raisins and half the nuts, if using. Mix well to combine, then divide between the tins.

STEP 3

Bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If any wet mixture clings to the skewer, return to the oven for 5 mins, then check again. Leave to cool in the tins.

STEP 4

To make the icing, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add half the soft cheese and beat again, then add the rest (adding it bit by bit prevents the icing from splitting). Remove the cakes from the tins and sandwich together with half the icing. Top with the remaining icing and scatter with the remaining walnuts. Will keep in the fridge for up to five days. Best eaten at room temperature.

Apple Pie - Food Easy Recipe

I also bake apple pie every Christmas. The cinnamon smell reminds me so much of my childhood days when mom used to bake apple pie. There was one Christmas in the early seventies when Apple imports ceased. Mom innovated her apple pie by using sayote. No one knew it was a fake apple pie until she announced it after we all gobbled it up. But these days, apples are sold in most fruit stands. I use the tart apples (green/red apples) from China as they have a sweet apple aroma unlike the plain Washington apples. The Chinese apples have a crunchy texture that makes it a pleasure to eat.

Anyway here is my recipe

For the Pie crust

This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie (one top crust & one bottom crust).

8 or 9-Inch Double Crust

3 level cups all-purpose flour

1 level teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margaine (I used star margarine)

1/2 cup butter or shortening

5 tablespoons cold water

1 tsp sugar (optional)

Procedure for the Crust

1. Combine flour, salt in bowl. Create well.

2. In the well, add margarine and butter.

3. Using a fork or pastry cutter, combine butter/margarine with the flour until well blended.

4. With a few tablespoons of water, add to the flour mixture and slowly form a ball. Add more water if desired.

5. Roll the dough from center outwards form a circle. Make sure the diameter is one inches more than the top of the pie plate.

If you didn’t get the crust procedure, view how [tag]pie crust[/tag] is made together with photos, click here or here

Apple Pie Filling

1/4 cup brown sugar , packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 tbsps butter

8 to 10 green tart apples, sliced (small taiwan apples are great)

3 pieces calamansi juice

1. Pare and slice apples thinly.

2. squeeze calamansi juice on sliced apples.

3. combine the first 7 ingredients above together to create a sugar-spice mixture. Blend well.

4. Coat apples gently with sugar and spice mixture.

5. Spoon into pie crust. Add butter on top.

6. Cover with crust. Flute the top of the pie crust. Slit in center.

7. Bake at 425 F for about 40-45 minutes until pie crust is golden brown or until the juices bubble through the slashes .

We usually eat our Apple pie slice topped with vanilla ice cream or what is usually known as Apple pie a la mode. The combination of hot and cold flavors is just yummy.

Gingerbread Man Cookie Recipe - Food Easy Recipe

Every Christmas season, I bake “Gingerbread Men Cookies” for my children. Even if they are much older now, the memories and the aroma of molasses, cinnamon and other spices give them a warm cozy feeling. It’s one reason that I’ve continued this tradition year after year. I will share this recipe with you if you want to bake it too.

This recipe is modified for a tropical climate. The original recipe requires immediate rolling after the dough has been made but our tropical heat just makes it gooey to handle.

Ingredients:

5 cups sifted all purpose flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup margarine (butter compound)

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark molasses (use our locally made molasses)

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 egg

Materials Needed to decorate Gingerbread Man:

Cherries for the lips

Raisins for the eyes

Chocolate candies (M & M’s)

Gingerbread Man shaped Cookie Cutter

Procedure:

1. Place margarine and sugar in large bowl.

2. In saucepan, heat molasses to boiling. Pour over margarine and sugar, add vinegar.

3. Stir on speed number 2 until well blended.

4. Set aside to cool.

5. Sift dry ingredients together.

6. Add egg to molasses mixture and beat on speed no. 4 to blend.

7. Add dry ingredients and stir into molasses mixture on speed no. 4 until well blended- about one and half minutes.

8. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for an hour.

9. Get a small portion of the chilled dough and roll on well floured board to 1/4 inch thickness. ( Tip:I roll directly on the cookie sheet for easy handling of cut dough)

10. Cut with floured Gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter about one inch apart.

11. To decorate the Gingerbread man before baking

12. Place cherries for lips and raisins for the eyes.

13. Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes.

14. Cool on brown paper for towelling.

Decorating the Gingerbread Man:

Icing for the buttons

3 Egg Whites (1/3 cup)

3 to 4 cups Confectioners Sugar

(this yields around 4 cups of icing which you can use for Christmas cookie decorating)

Procedure:

1. Beat egg whites until stiff.

2. add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3. Add confectioner sugar until well blended

For decorating tips:

1. Stick chocolate candies with the icing to form buttons

2. Ice the head for hat

3. Ice the feet for shoes.

After all the Gingerbread Men Cookies have been iced, I wrap them individually in ice-bag plastic and string them to our Christmas garlands that adorn our rooms in the house.