Cranberry, apricot and amaretto mince pies with almond, orange and cinnamon pastry

It's Christmas Eve-eve and I've spent a very happy day baking - a couple of cake commissions for friends for Christmas, sausage rolls, ginger biscuits, and these fantastic deep-dish mince pies. Made in muffin tins, they have lots of room for really good filling, so I spruced up some mincemeat with dried apricots, blanched almonds, amaretto and fresh cranberries.  The pastry has ground almonds, orange zest and juice and cinnamon in too for extra festive flavour. Merry Christmas everyone!

Ingredients

For the pastry

7 oz butter, cubed

12 oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

5 oz ground almonds

3 ½ oz golden caster sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Zest of 2 oranges, finely grated

2 tbsp orange juice

For the filling

14 oz jar of mincemeat

3 oz dried apricots, diced

3 tbsp amaretto

2 oz blanched almonds, chopped

2 oz fresh cranberries, halved

To assemble

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp golden caster sugar

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, place the butter and flour and rub with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
2. Add the ground almonds, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest and mix to distribute evenly through the crumbs.
3. Add the orange juice and knead until a rough dough comes together.
4. Tip onto the work surface, knead together and shape into a smooth disc. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling: in a mixing bowl, combine the mincemeat, diced apricots, chopped almonds and amaretto.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 12-hole muffin tin.
7. Scatter a little flour onto your work surface and roll out the dough to about the thickness of a £1 coin.
8. Using a 10cm cutter, stamp out 12 circles and line the holes of the muffin tin.
9. Spoon the mincemeat into the pastry cases and press in the chopped cranberries.
10. Roll out the remaining dough and stamp out circles with a star cut out of the centre of each.
11. Brush the edges of the pastry cases with egg wash and place the pastry lids on top. Use your finger and thumb to crimp the edges together.
12. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
13. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden.