WeightWatchers Orange and Almond Christmas Mince Pies Recipe

Christmas is coming soon, so I thought it would be a good idea to share this great orange and almond Christmas mince pies recipe with you.

These delicious little pies combine an orange short crust pastry base with mincemeat filling and an almond crumble topping. You can serve them warm with whipped cream or brandy butter.

Weight Watchers Orange and Almond Christmas Mince Pies recipe
Makes 24 mini mince pies

Ingredients

Pastry
100 g butter, chilled and cut into cubes
175 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 orange, zest of, finely grated

Filling
250 g good quality mincemeat (preferably home-made)

Crumble Topping
50 g cold butter
50 g plain flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped
icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation
1. Make the pastry in a large bowl or food processor by blending the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar and orange zest and then 2 tbsp water.
3. Bring the mixture together with your hands, adding a few more drops of water if it feels a little dry.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 375 F / gas 4.
5. Roll out half the pastry (keep the other half wrapped in the fridge) on a lightly floured surface. You want the pastry to be very thin, so it is crisp when cooked.
6. Cut out 12 circles of pastry with a plain 6cm cutter (you will need to re-roll the pastry a couple of times) and use to line a 12-hole, non-stick cup cake or mini muffin tin. (It is quite a soft pastry, so any little gaps that form as you are lining the holes can easily be patched up.)
7. Chill while you make the topping.
8. In a small bowl, make the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and almonds.
9. With a teaspoon, fill each pastry case with mincemeat, gently pressing it down to leave room for the topping.
10. Sprinkle the topping over each pie, place the tin on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden.
11. Leave the pies to cool in the tin before taking them out carefully. They are fragile when hot, so use a small knife to help lift them out.
12. Unless you have two tins, repeat the process with the second batch of pastry, filling and topping.

How many Weight Watchers points in Christmas mince pies recipe?
WW POINTS for one mini mince pie: 3
Nutritional information for one mini mince pie: 126 calories, 5.5g fat, 0.5g fiber

Originally posted 2007-12-11 14:17:45.