Air Fryer Mince Pies

Prep: 20 mins. Chill: 30+ mins. Bake: 12-14 mins.

Prepare the pastry

 Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and beat on a low speed until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Combine the egg yolks, double cream and vanilla in a measuring jug. Add to the mixing bowl and beat together very briefly to combine.

Line your worktop with cling film. Tip the pastry crumbs on to it and use the cling film to gather the pastry together, kneading with your hands as needed to form a disc. Chill the pastry for at least 30 minutes or overnight before using.

Make the mince pies

Cut the pastry in half, keeping any you are not using straight away in the fridge covered with cling film.

Dust your worktop with icing sugar and roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm. Cut out circles using a 7.5cm fluted pastry cutter. Cut a small hole out of half the circles – these will be our pastry lids.

Place about half a tablespoon of mincemeat in the middle of a pastry circle and brush the edges with the egg yolk. Top with a pastry lid and press down to seal. You can crimp the edges with your fingertips or a fork. Brush with the egg wash.

Repeat until you have used up all the mincemeat and pastry, gathering any scraps and rolling out as needed.

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Place a liner in the air fryer basket and carefully transfer the mince pies to it, spacing them slightly apart. Bake in batches of six for 12–14 minutes, or until the mince pies are beautifully golden and the filling is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Notes: Reduce the temperature by 5–10° if the mince pies are browning too quickly. You can use home-made or store-bought mincemeat. Jazz up store-bought mincemeat by adding orange zest and a splash of brandy.