I love baking with the kids especially on cold winter days when you don't want to leave the house. Both of my children Leyton (8 years) and Alexa (5 years) absolutely love baking and is a really fun family activity (if you can embrace the mess! ). Cooking with kids provides practical experience and can help with essential skills such as reading, following directions, and measuring. And for the little ones it helps them to develop fine motor skills, eye hand coordination, and even early concepts of math and science.

Now I am not a lover of mince pies, but after making these I am now a convert. And I think its all down to the Apple and Salted Carmel Mincemeat - Link here  

These make perfect gifts to friends and family at Christmas wrapped up in little boxes.  

Check out supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Hobbycraft for cake boxes. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Jar of Mincemeat around 500g (I can fully recommend Sainsbury's Apple and Salted Caramel Mincemeat - (game changer!)
• 1 satsuma.
• 1 Apple, finely sliced.
• Zest of 1 Lemon. 
• Little Icing sugar for dusting. 

For The Pastry

• 375g Plain Flour.
• 260g Unsalted Butter - softened (leave out of the fridge for 1hr before baking).
• 125g Caster Sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling. 
• 1 Large egg, plus 1 beaten egg for glazing. 

Step by Step Instructions

1. Place 375g plain flour and 260g softened unsalted butter in a bowl and rub together to a crumb consistency. The kids love doing this bit! 

2. Add 125g caster sugar and 1 large beaten egg, and mix together.

3. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and fold until the pastry comes together, be careful not to over mix.

4. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in fridge for 10 mins.

5. Scoop the large jar of mincemeat into a bowl and add 2 segmented satsumas, 1 finely chopped apple and zest of 1 lemon.

6. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

7. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick. 

8. Using a round cutter (about 10cm), cut out 16 bases and place them into muffin trays. Put 1½ tbsp mincemeat mixture into each. Brush the edge of each pie with a little beaten egg.

9. Re-roll out the pastry to cut smaller 7cm lids and press them on top to seal. Glaze with the beaten egg, sprinkle with the extra caster sugar, then make a small cut in the tops.

10. Bake the mince pies for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool before releasing them from the muffin trays and dusting with a little more icing sugar before serving.

Thanks for reading and if you do make these or have changes the recipe them please leave a comment or tag us in your pictures on Instagram @stoneandco . 

Enjoy xx