2012 - Mince Pies Not Words

I'm not sure if these Mincemeat Pinwheels can be called cookies but they certainly qualify as Christmas goodies. Personally, I don't like mincemeat — in the form of pies or otherwise. But my English husband considers it an integral part of Christmas. He usually just buys the mass-produced mini-pies available at every supermarket at this time of year. But I watched Lorraine Pascale's "Last Minute Christmas" on BBC2 and saw this recipe, so I thought I'd give it a bash.

All you need is puff pastry (pre-made, of course!), mincemeat and an egg. Maple syrup and powdered sugar are optional. I used pre-made mincemeat too! However, I doctored it up with a bit of orange zest, port and vanilla.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out the puff pastry sheet so that it measures 30x30 centimeters. Cut it into nine squares (10x10 centimeters each). I saved the scraps and cut stars from them to decorate the top of the pinwheels.

Place one tablespoon of mincemeat in the center of each square. Whisk up an egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water; brush the edges of the squares. Then cut the pastry from just outside the mincemeat to each corner with a knife. Now pull up every other corner to the center, creating a pinwheel. Brush the top with egg wash and affix a star to the center.

Place the pinwheels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Brush the top of each pinwheel with maple syrup and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I really enjoyed making these and my husband was quite pleased with their fresh, zesty flavor. If you like mincemeat pie, you'll love these!