A wonderful alternative to the traditional mince pies. For more perfect Vegan, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar free alternatives, go to RECIPES.
Mince Pie – A perfect Vegan, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar free alternative
Author: Elizabeth Peyton-Jones
Recipe type: Pudding
Ingredients
Makes 6-8 medium/small mince
For the Mince:
- ⅓ Cup Raisins (50 Grams)
- ⅓Cup Currants (50 Grams)
- 2 Oranges, Zest and juice (125 Mls juice + 1 TBSP Peel)
- Zest only of 1 Lemon (½TSP)
- ½ TSP Grated Ginger
- 1 TBSP Maple Syrup
- 2 Medium Red Apples (1 + ½ Cup or 190 Grams)
- 1 + ½ TSP Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch Ground Clove
- ¼ TSP Ground Nutmeg
- 2 TBSP Water
For the Crust:
- 1 Cup Ground Almonds (105 Grams)
- ½ Cup Almonds (65 Grams)
- 1 TBSP Chia Seeds
- 3 TBSP Water (45 Mls)
- 2 TBSP Coconut oil (30 Grams)
- 1 TSP Vanilla powder
- ½ Cup Almond flakes (50 Grams - for the top)
Instructions
Preparation – Minimum 1 hour in advance:
- In a small bowl, combine the orange zest , lemon zest and grated ginger with the Maple syrup and a pinch of ground clove.
- Mix well and reserve.
- In a separate bowl, combine the Raisins, Currants, Orange Juice and Cinnamon.
- Mix well and reserve.
- In a separate small bowl. Mix the Chia Seeds with water and reserve. This will make the chia become a gel.
- Stir again after 15 minutes, making sure all the chia is absorbing water.
Mince Method:
- Peel and chop the apple.
- Process in a food processor, until very fine, or grate it.
- Mix the preparation number 1 and 2, with the apple and nutmeg and cook in low heat with the lid for 30 Minutes.
- Add 1 TBSP of water after 10 minutes, and another TBSP of water after 20.
- Keep an eye if is not going dry, and add a splash of water if necessary.
Crust Method:
- Combine the almonds, ground almonds and vanilla in a food processor, and process them until almonds have been crushed, leaving the smallest possible bits.
- Add the coconut oil and chia seed ‘gel’ and process until well combined.
- It will become a ball of dough inside the processor.
- Shape the dough with your hands, initially as a ball, and then spread it into a rectangle shape, in a surface covered with baking paper.
- Cover the dough with another baking paper and roll the crust with a rolling pin, until flat and around 0.5 – 1 cm thick.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the dough and shape them into a previously greased (in coconut oil) mini muffin tin.
- You can repeat step 4 as many times as necessary, reshaping the dough and cutting more bases.
- Fill them with around 1 + ½ tbsp of the mince meat and bake in a pre-heated oven at 150°, for 20 -25 minutes, until golden brown.
- When the crust is almost finished, cover the pies with around ½ tbsp of almond flakes and let it brown for 4-5 minutes.
Equipment needed:
- Food Processor, bowls, pan, Mini Muffin Tin (Diameter of 7 Cm or 2.75 Inches), pastry cutter (Diameter of 8 Cm or 3.15 Inches) baking paper, rolling pin