Starry Mince Pies vs Chocolate Alternative - The Kids Decide

 vs 

It may still only be November but I was feeling a little bit festive today and decided to make some mince pies. Now the last time I made mince pies they were bloomin' awful but my pastry skills have improved somewhat lately *blows own foghorn* Paaaarp! Obviously the kiddies had to get involved and a little bit of bribery and corruption was up my sleeve for them to cooperate with the vlogging later in this post - yes! Vlogging! Sort of!

So, the mince pies. We managed to make 10 using the following based upon the fact that was all the plain flour I had! You will need:

110g/4oz plain flour

1 tbsp caster sugar

55g/2oz butter

half tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsps cold water

mincemeat

icing sugar

Sift the plain flour into a large bowl and stir in the caster sugar.

Add the butter and rub in with fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Add the vanilla and the water and bind together.

Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Grab two small children and ask them to roll out the pastry and cut out circles - to fit your previously greased tin - and stars to go on top.

Line the tin with the circles, put in about 2 teaspoons of mincemeat and top with a star.

Bake at 170c (fan oven) for 18-20 minutes.

Cool on a baking tray.

Sprinkle with snow icing sugar.

And Voila!

Then get your children to eat one and tell you what they think!

 

I am so impressed that Edith vlogged so well for me and that she actually liked something I baked! RESULT!

As a bribe special treat for being so helpful I let the children try a scrummy alternative mince pie that I had received to sample from Hotel Chocolat. Mmmmmm chocolate! These are milk and dark chocolate pralines with salted caramel in milk chocolate shells. A rather tasty sounding alternative if you're not a fan of traditional mince pies. Or a rather nice extra treat if you're feeling indulgent!

How cute do they look?

Here's what my chocolate reviewer thought:

 

That's my girl! She likes the chocolates but still appreciates a good bit of home baking!

But what about the boy?! Well I let him sample some other Hotel Chocolat christmas goodies - perfect treats for the kiddies this one.

Here's what he thought:

 

A Tiddly Penguin - yum!

So all in all I think the battle of the mince pies has resulted in a draw. Home baking is great but a treat from Hotel Chocolat is always worth it for a bit of Christmas indulgence.

Disclaimer: I received the Hotel Chocolat products at no cost to myself in order to review.