Easy sugar free mince pies made with vegan, gluten free, low carb mincemeat that contains barely any dried fruit! Use gluten free, low carb or vegan pastry with the mincemeat to make it suitable for anyone with these dietary preferences. And make an extra big batch to bring with you to any parties or family celebrations this year so you know there is at least one thing you can enjoy after the Christmas dinner! Adapted from this recipe.
- 3 satsumas
- 3 tbsp raisins
- 2 tbsp walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 4 tbsp sugar free cranberry sauce*, or use fresh cranberries and add extra xylitol
- 1 apple, grated (a pear would also work)
- 4-8 tbsp xylitol, to taste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice (or pumpkin spice)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 stick (110g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1 3/4 cups (250g) flour (plain, wholemeal or gluten-free all work fine)
- 1 tbsp xylitol
- 3-4 tbsp ice cold water
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Peel and chop the clementines, and chop about 1 tbsp of the clementine skin really really finely. Discard the rest, or add to some vodka to make orange extract (it'll take about 8 weeks to infuse - the longer you leave it, the stronger the flavour will be).
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Add the clementines and chopped peel, along with all the other ingredients except the cornflour, to a pan.
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Bring to the boil and then turn the heat right down, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 10 mins. Take the lid off, mix about 1 tbsp of the mixture with the cornflour in a separate bowl, then pour the cornflour paste back into the pan. Simmer for another 5 mins until thickened. Taste a little (be careful - it will be very hot!), and adjust the sweetness to your liking, stirring in more xylitol if you wish. Allow to cool.
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Meanwhile, make the pastry: Add the butter, flour and xylitol to a food processor and pulse until the mixture starts to look like breadcrumbs (a little tip: don't wait for fine "breadcrumbs", it's best when it looks a little "bitty" like it is lots of different sizes of breadcrumbs in the bowl). Turn the food processor on and gradually pour the water, 1 tbsp at a time, in through the spout. Wait for at least 30 secs between each tablespoon to see if the dough starts to come together. Once it has come together into a rough ball, stop the food processor, take the dough out and bring it together until smooth. Press into a disc, cover with cling film, and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 15 mins, but ideally 30 mins.
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas Lightly grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or butter.
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Roll out the chilled pastry and use a circular cutter slightly bigger than the muffin tin holes to cut out 12 circles. Place each of these in the bottom of the muffin tin holes and press them lightly up the sides (they don't have to go all the way up). Roll the pastry back out, choose a smaller circular cutter roughly the same size as the muffin tin holes, and cut out 12 circles.
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Fill each pie base with a tablespoon of mincemeat and top with the smaller circles. Press along the edges slightly to seal the pies, brush the top with a little beaten egg (or milk if you don't have egg), and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 mins, until the tops are golden and the filling is bubbling.
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Allow to cool before removing from the tin and serve them warm or cold with clotted cream or pouring cream or even whipped dairy or coconut cream.
*you can find my delicious sugar free cranberry sauce recipe here - make a batch and serve some with the Christmas dinner as well as using some for mince pies! You can also freeze it in portions for up to 3 months, so no worries if you don't use the whole thing!