Gluten-Free Mince Pie Recipe

• Let’s get this straight – I LOVE MINCE PIES! And I think if I could limit myself to one or two each Christmas season I would probably be okay, but that kind of restraint is still something I’m working in. Last year I wanted to experiment in my own unique way as to how I can make my own mince pies that meet my own nutrition standards but I never managed to get around to it.

  So here we are. I did it! And they were great!!!!!

  Were they entirely like “normal” mince pies? No

  Were they as good as “normal” mince pies? Probably not.

  Was it my first time and could I definitely improve on the recipe next time? Yes, absolutely! I will make some specific suggestions outside of the recipe, below.

  The specific goal was to make these pies grain and sugar-free. I actually ran out of coconut flour so I used about 20% coconut flour and 80% rice flour – so technically not grain-free, but at least gluten-free. Had I had enough coconut flour I would have used it entirely.

  Ingredients:

  For the mince

  50g  raisins
  50g dried apricots
  50g dates
  25g fresh cherries

  - Note: I used double these first 4 ingredients and had far too much mince, so these figures should be fine.

  ½ tsp ground ginger
  ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  ½ tsp ground mace
  1 tsp ground cinnamon

  - Note: I only had ginger and cinnamon at home, so that’s all I used, but if I had the others I would have thrown them in too! 

  1  apple, cored and chopped but not peeled
  1 lemon, cut into small pieces but not peeled
  1 orange, cut into small pieces but not peeled

  120ml/4fl oz brandy or whisky

  - Note: I did not use the alcohol that I originally found in the recipe, but I imagine it would  have been a welcomed flavour.

  Honey

  - Note: This was not in the original recipe, but I felt like it was really necessary after initially making the mince. With the alcohol it might not be needed. Experiment!

  For the pastry

  180g Rice Flour
  20g Coconut Flour (+ 1 Egg per Oz of coconut flour).

  - Note: As said before, I would have used all coconut flour if I had it. Because coconut flour can be quite dry and crumbly (because of the lack of gluten which is very binding) you should add one egg for each Oz, so depending on the option you go for, depends on how many you need.

  150g butter
  Honey

  Preparation method

  1. Mix all the fruits in with the spices.
  2. Place all in a food processor and purée.
  3. Add the alcohol / honey (1-2tbsp’s) if using, mix well, cover and set aside for anything between 2 and 24 hours. (Note: I left mine in the fridge for 15 hours)

  
  

  1. To make the pastry: Mix the flour(s) and cut in the butter and whisk until it forms crumbs. Add honey (1-2 Tbsp’s). Mix in.
  2. Add 8-10 tablespoons cold water and egg(s).
  3. Mix to a dough. (Recipe suggests to chill for 30 minutes. I did not)
  4. Pre-Heat the over to 180C/350F/Gas4. Grease mince pie tins/dishes [with butter].
  5. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Now is the time you would normally roll the dough with a pin and cut the circles, etc… With coconut oil it’s not really possible to do this. I simply picked up balls of dough and pushed them into the moulds, leaving space in the centre for the mince.
  6. Spoon the mixture into each pie.
  7. If you have mixture left (I ran out): Create lids for each pie and press together the edges with your fingers. If not: I dusted the top of each pie with coconut flour.
  8. Bake for around 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned and pastry is cooked.
  9. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with caster sugar if desired.

  1. Cool in the fridge before trying to remove them from cases. Once cooled, remove carefully, and serve.
  2. Serve warm or cold, with cream (as heavy and organic as you can find, and preferably unpasteurised if possible) if you like.

  To conclude: These pies were a roaring success – even my Father-in-Law had some. They pastry is more “cakey” than pastry, and they are very filling. I will  make some changes next time and I am sure they can be even better.

  Good luck and let me know how yours come out and if you have any recipe suggestions!!

  Merry Christmas, and remember to leave one out for Santa!

  
  
  December 13th, 2011 | Brett Sanders | 2 Comments | Tags: coconut flour mince pies, gluten free, healthy christmas recipes, mince pie recipe

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