the most delicious mince pies

It may have passed Christmas but that doesn't mean we should stop eating mince pies, does it!?
I mean, I do apologise, this should have gone up before Christmas, but alas we live and we learn.
I personally will be enjoying mince pies all the way through to the New Year, it actually makes me sad they aren't an all year around tradition. 

For years, I have always wanted to make my own mince pies, but never did. I love to bake, but making my own pastry almost scared me a little bit, however, I did it! And let me tell you, they taste amazing. 

Ingredients you will need: 

8 oz Self Raising Flour

2 oz Vegetable Fat (I used Trex)

2 oz Stork margarine
1 egg yolk

1 egg whisked for the top 

Icing Sugar to sprinkle on top

Jar of Mincemeat 

Method:

• Firstly add your flour, margarine and vegetable fat into a large mixing bowl and rub together with the tips of your fingers until you get a crumb consistency
• Add the egg yolk and mix in (don't worry if you can see it hasn't fully mixed in with the rest of the mixture, this is ok)
• Pour in a small amount of water (around 2 tablespoons worth) and continue mixing ingredients. Judge the amount of water when it begins to bind together, you don't want it to be sticky though
• Combine mixture together to form a ball, place in some greaseproof paper and leave in the fridge to stand for about 20 minutes
• Scatter some flour onto a clean work surface and begin to roll out the pastry, until thin (around 2mm)
• Use a medium circular cutter for the base, then once cut out place in low muffin trays, this recipe will make around 10 mince pies, as you need the tops too.
• Then place a teaspoon amount of mincemeat into the centre of each pastry base
• I decided on stars for the top, but you could use another shape to, it is really up to you, so ensure you cut out 10 stars or other shapes for the top of the mince pies
• Crack a full egg into a bowl and whisk together, then using a pastry brush wash the rim of the mince pie base with egg wash, then add your star or shape on top
• Egg wash the top of your mince pie, complete this for all 10 mince pies
• Place in the oven on 180 degrees celsius for around 15 minutes, or until golden brown
• Once cooked, remove from the oven and place mince pies on a cooling rack
• Using a sieve, sprinkle icing sugar to the top of your mince pies to decorate
• Eat mince pies, warm or cold, with or without cream, and enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, pastry seems more complex to make that it actually is, and if you are a fan of mince pies then you will absolutely love these.
If you make these please let me know, or tag me in a photo on Instagram @Jessicalaarr I'd love to see them.

Healthy pancakes

 As it is approaching the famous pancake day, I thought I would share with you these healthy pancakes which only consist of 2 ingredients. 

I love all types of pancakes, in fact I think everyone should eat pancakes more often, not just for pancake day. Whilst these pancakes are healthy, they don't actually taste healthy, they taste so good and are really filling as well. You are able to get a fair few pancakes out of one batch, so more for yourself, or for sharing if you wish. 

All you will need is:

- 2 very ripe bananas

- 2 medium size eggs

 Method:

1. Mash up the bananas into a mixing bowl

2. Crack both the eggs into the bowl and mix together with the banana

3. On a low heat put some oil of your choice into a frying pan (if you want to stay with the healthy theme i'd recommend coconut oil or an oil spray)

4. Using a small spoonful to judge the size, spoon some mixture into the pan

5. Allow a couple of minutes to cook one side and then you can carefully flip them with a spatula (You have to be careful here as it's a fairly runny mixture it can be a little harder to flip than some pancakes)

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have no mixture left

7. Decorate them how you'd like, I just used blueberries, strawberries and maple syrup.

Let me know if you have tried these and what you thought about them, I personally love them!