Need help with mince pies please?

Has anyone tried using silicone bun pans rather than the metal? I have trouble with mince pies sticking

I’ve just read Mary Berry’s recipe. I made my own mincemeat for the first time this year from left over ingredients of Christmas pudding. Vegetable suet rather than butter, a large apple rather than a small one, I certainly didn’t simmer everything for 10 minutes, just piled it all into a big bowl, covered it and left for 48 hours fir fruit to absorb all the flavours. It was fine, not dry at all. I also added grated orange and juice to my pastry for a bit more zing!

I always have a jar of candied cherries in whiskey handy. I use the alcohol, and top up the jar, but sometimes I chop up the cherries too, depending upon what I am making, or cover them in chocolate. You can try adding a grated apple and minced sultanas.

Hymnbook

It's about time an alternative to mince pies were sold. I can't stand them. How about a fruit pie as well. They can't just be me who doesn't like dried fruit.

You can buy fruit pies already. www.mrkipling.co.uk/our-ranges/favourites/mini-fruit-pie-selection

It's about time an alternative to mince pies were sold. I can't stand them. How about a fruit pie as well. They can't just be me who doesn't like dried fruit.

MIL used to add grated carrot

Drained and chopped tinned apricots enrich bought mincemeat.

I buy a jar of mincemeat add brandy, rum or whisky and leave it 6 weeks, just as good as homemade.

Delia's recipe is perfect..not runny, not dry. I use it straight away.

Or add grated cooking apple. Next time, use the GN’s recipe with extra grated apple and grated carrots.

To rescue home made mincemeat that’s a bit dry..... tip I got years ago is to add a tin of peaches in syrup (chopping the peace slices roughly first of course). Works a treat and also perks up a jar of bought mincemeat if you need to use it in a hurry!

You could make a mincemeat cake with it, the extra ingredients should stop the dryness

I always use any mincemeat with a dollop of apple purée.

I make my own, too. Mainly because I have an intolerance to oranges, I mix up my own mixed fruit substituting orange peel for chopped apricots. Mixed spice, ground nutmeg and cinnamon - Lovely! Plus, of course, Brandy. Yum!!

I always soak the dried fruit for cake/ mincemeat ( in brandy) for as long as possible - a few days at least. The fruit then plumps up and is moist. I know you can't do that now, but next time, maybe...........

This recipe is unconventional but our favourite: www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-studded-mincemeat-by-nigella-lawson-482136
I'm vegan so use agave syrup instead of the honey, and sometimes whisky rather than brandy if that's what I've got in. Maybe mixed half-and-half with yours?

I would add lemon juice and grated peel.

You could also try adding a tablespoon or two of whichever orange marmelade you like best.

I've just looked at the recipe you used, (I didn't know Mary Berry) 1 tsp spice and half a teaspoon of cinnamon is is far, far too little. No wonder it is tasteless.

Add a teaspoonful at a time of cinnamon and allspice until you think it tastes right.

This is the recipe I’ve used for the last 2 years. There’s no suet, and it’s really moist and tasty. Is there anything in that recipe you could add to yours to make it tastier?
pin.it/6BlWUkA

I made a batch of mince pies yesterday. I added Clementine juice and peel and cognac to some fairly old homemade mincemeat that had been lurking in the fridge. I also added same juice and peel to the pastry using half wholemeal flour and some ground cinammon. They were delicious.

Yes, I think I would soften it with orange juice or there is a nice apple and ginger juice which I'm sure would revive it.

Tip it all into a large bowl and mix in a jar of the cheapest own-brand marmalade that you can buy. Add another glug of whisky, brandy or - my own choice - rum and stir well.
My auntie taught me this trick many decades ago, and it's worked for me for the last 52 Christmases...! 😀

Like you I was disappointed when I made my own mincemeat, I cam to the conclusion that I had spent too many years eating the stuff in a jar and won't change now. Can I suggest you make a tart with your mincemeat and tinned apricots, soon disappears here.

I would definitely add alcohol to a "dry" mincemeat!
Another vote here for Delia's recipe. We've an (unopened) jar of mincemeat in the fridge - DH made this last year to Delia's recipe. I'm trusting that it'll still taste delicious, when we use it this year.

It might seem tasteless due to the amount of sugar that manufactured mincemeat contains!
Try adding some finely grated orange peal, grated apple or even grated pear on top of the mincemeat before you put the lids on.

Dollop of marmalade and apple sauce glacé cherries and a dash of brandy will improve texture and taste. I always use butter and an egg (put through a sieve to get rid of stringy bits) for pastry.