The best thing about Christmas isn’t the presents or sparkly décor – it’s the food. Unmistakably crisp and sweet, Pink Lady® apples are the perfect addition to a range of delicious festive recipes. As well as being a well-loved snack, they make for ideal cooking apples for a whole host of Christmas bakes.
Why, you ask? Well, even when baked, they perfectly hold shape and retain their recognisable sweet taste. Discover how to make the ultimate mince pies and mulled juice below...
How to make apple mince pies with a twist
Whether you’re baking for friends, family, or for yourself, we know you’ll love this delicious mince pie recipe. In a league of their own, try this tasty mix of Pink Lady® apples, dates, and pecans to add an exciting twist to a seasonal favourite!
INGREDIENTS
- 400g plain flour
- 50g icing sugar
- 200g cubed cold butter
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
- 2 eggs (yolks only)
- 400g jar of mincemeat
- 60g chopped pecans
- Handful of dates, roughly chopped
- 2 Pink Lady apples, finely diced
- Milk for glaze
- Icing sugar for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. To make the pastry, pour the flour into a large bowl, then the icing sugar and cubed cold butter. Mix these together until they form a crumb-like consistency.
2. Add the orange juice and zest. Gradually mix in the egg yolks until the mixture starts to come together. Cover this and pop it in the fridge for 40 mins.
3. To make your filling, simply combine the mincemeat, chopped pecans, chopped dates, orange zest, diced Pink Lady® apples, and stir.
4. Having rested the pastry, begin to roll it out. To avoid drying out the pastry, try placing one piece of greaseproof paper under the pastry and one on top. Roll it out to around a 5mm thickness and then cut out your pastry base using a round cutter, and your top using a star-shaped cutter.
5. Place your pastry bases into your baking tin and add a heaped spoon of your mince pie mix on top. Then add the star pastry top and brush with a light covering of milk.
6. Pop your pies into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Once removed, leave these to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tin. Once removed, place on a cooling rack and lightly dust with some icing sugar. Then tuck in and enjoy!
Fantastically festive mulled apple juice
For a heart-warming drink to accompany your mince pies, try this cosy Mulled Apple Juice using a Pink Lady® pomander. The pomander for this delicious drink is made by studding Pink Lady® apples with cloves - perfect for any festive occasion!
INGREDIENTS
For the pomander:
- 3 Pink Lady® apples
- 1 ball of string
- 60g cloves
For the mulled apple juice:
- 1.5 litres Pink Lady® apple juice
- 3 x 25ml shots of rum (optional)
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
- Peel of 3 oranges
INSTRUCTIONS
1. To make your pomander, wrap string around each of your Pink Lady® apples – and tie like you would a present! We suggest you wrap the string around three times and then tie a knot to secure, leaving a bit of string at the top.
2. Prick holes in lines going down the side of the apple, then insert cloves into the holes.
3. Place the Pink Lady® apple juice, rum, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, star anise and the Pink Lady® pomanders into a large pan. Gently bring this to the boil and simmer for 5 mins until taking off the heat.
4. Serve and enjoy!
To explore more festive recipes using Pink Lady apples, click here.
