For those of us who do enjoy these festive fancies, I’ve put together a gluten and dairy free, paleo friendly, mince pie recipe that you can enjoy for the rest of your days. Happy times!
*Ingredients:
(Pastry)*
• 2 x cups ground almonds/almond flour
• 2 x egg whites
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
(Filling)
• 1 cup mixed raisins and sultanas
• ¼ cup figs
• ½ cup of suet (pre-order from your local butcher)
• Zest and juice from an orange
• Zest and juice from a lemon
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup apple juice
Method:
• In a large bowl, mix all of the pastry ingredients together using your hands. Allow the dough to sit in the fridge for 12 hours or more.
• In a large oven safe bowl, mix together the mincemeat/filling ingredients. Cover and allow to marinade for 12 hours or more.
• Grease a cupcake tin with coconut oil and line each of the cake holders with the pastry dough, pressing the mixture firmly as you go.
• Cover the bowl of mincemeat, loosely, with foil and add to oven on low (110 or gas mark ¼) for 3 hours.
• Remove from the oven and stir occasionally. The fat should begin to surround/encase the mixture and as it cools the mincemeat should become sticky/tacky. If it doesn’t return to the oven for 30 minute intervals and repeat cooling process until sticky.
• Spoon the cooled mixture into the individual pastry cases, being generous with the filling.
• Roll out the remaining pastry dough to roughly 1/8” thickness and cut circles slightly bigger than the cake cases. Lay on top of mixture filled cases and gently press the sides to seal.
• Add to oven at 180 (gas mark 4) for 20-25 minutes, checking regularly.
• Enjoy!
Serves: 24