apple and mince pie crumble bars
These apple and mince pie crumble bars are better than mince pies and are like a mash-up between an apple pie, a mince pie, and shortbread. The crunchy toasted almond topping is one of the best bits.
I had some intention to do a few Christmas recipes this year because I adore food in all shapes and forms. I have done a gammon cooked in coke with a honey mustard glaze, a turkey and stuffing, as well as the best roast potatoes in the past. I tend to be a little traditional and stick with what I know and like.
I also wasn’t planning any particular Christmas feast. This year I’m traveling to spend a few days with my family where I am sure I will get roped into helping prepare our Christmas dinner. It will be very traditional – it always is. There will be roast turkey with stuffing, glazed gammon, and Christmas pudding. I have offered to make my boozy cherry Christmas pudding with chocolate strudel this year, so I think this will be my main task on the 24th.
I hope this recipe makes up for things. It’s a cracker and really a whole lot easier than making mince pies. If you are like me and love the richness of Christmas mince pies you should probably add a lot more of the mince filling to this recipe.
I have kept it fairly scant and more bar-like, but it could probably do with an extra 100gs of fruit. The orange zest in the pastry is quite subtle but works so well. I love the combination of citrus with mince pies like my frangipane mince pies with orange zest.
I think I’ll make another batch to take to my family. I mean this is the time for utter over-indulgence right?
Oh and I find it easier to grate the final third of the pastry in order to get it into small enough crumbs for even distribution across the surface.
A few other Christmas recipes you might like:
Easy deep-filled Christmas mince pies
My ultimate indulgent fruitcake recipe
Easy stout fruit cake with cherries
Easy stout fruit cake with cherries
Baked apples with brandy-soaked raisins
Printapple and mince pie crumble bars
These apple and mince pie crumble bars are easier and more delicious than mince pies.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 square bars
Ingredients
2 apples, peeled and cut into small dice
The peel of half an orange
juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup sugar
250g fruit mince (I used Woolies)
40g flaked almonds
pastry
2 cups of cake flour (300g)
1/3 cup almond flour (40g)
2/3 cup caster sugar (170g)
250g chilled butter, cut into cubes
The zest of half an orange
Instructions
Finely grate the zest of half an orange then set aside. Peel the skin off the other half of the orange with a vegetable peeler, and place it in a pot with 1/4 of a cup of sugar. Add the juice of the orange and bring this to a boil. Add the apples and allow this to simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
While the apple is cooking/cooling – make the pastry. Place the flour, sugar, zest, and butter in a food processor and pulse until a soft dough forms. Remove
Line a 20-23cm square cake tin with baking paper. Press 2/3 of the pastry into the bottom of the tin and flatten.
Spoon out the apples from the liquid and remove the orange peel. Mix this in a bowl with the Xmas fruit mince.
Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the surface of the pastry. Grate the remaining third of the pastry over the top. Scatter the slivered almonds and bake for 40 – 45 minutes until golden brown.
Allow to cool, cut into squares, and dust with powdered sugar
Keywords: Mince pie, apple, crumble bars, bars. recipe, mince pie bars, almond
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Thanks for sharing this recipe. Will definitely make over the weekend to get into the Christmas spirit!.
Happy Christmas and thank you for all your delicious and inspiring recipes!
Thanks Anne, Happy Christmas to you to.
best
sam
I am assuming to add the diced apple along with the orange juice?
I love crumble bars, these are beauties!
Hi Sam!!! Theses are awesome!!! So easy and less fiddly than proper mince pies, but when you have a need to feed these are the bomb!!!! Used fruit mince I made last year….delicious!!! Thank you thank you for your always such lovely recipes! Happy Christmas and an awesome 2018 for you and yours! Lots of love Linda xxxx
These are flippen amazing. I added cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves, and cooked the minced fruit with the apples while adding some brandy. I would actually cook it to reduced the next time.