Vegan Mince Pies (Gluten Free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup currents or sultanas
• 3 small apples, cored and cut into 1cm wide cubes
• 1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped into rough 1cm pieces)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup almonds
• 2 cup oats (gluten free if needed)
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or vegan butter at room temperature
• 13 small dates
• 4 tbsp cold water
• Flour of choice (for rolling out pastry)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Lightly grease two 6-cup muffin tins with coconut oil and set aside.

2. 2

   Place all 'mincemeat' filling ingredients into a saucepan on medium heat.

3. 3

   Stirring frequently, let mixture bubble gently for 25-30 minutes - turning temperature down as needed - until apple is broken down. Set aside.

4. 4

   To make pastry, add almonds to a blender and blend to a fine flour. Pour into a large bowl.

5. 5

   Do the same with oats and add to bowl.

6. 6

   Add arrowroot powder to oat/almond mix and rub coconut oil into mixture with hands until a breadcrumb-like consistency is achieved.

7. 7

   Blend dates in blender and add to mixing bowl. Add cold water and mix everything together until a dough forms. If it's crumbly add a little more water.

8. 8

   Spreading flour of choice on rolling surface, roll out pastry with a rolling pin until it’s about ½cm thick.

9. 9

   Use a 9cm round cookie cutter to create 12 pastry circles. Use a small star cutter to cut out an equal number of pastry stars from remaining pastry (these will be pie tops).

10. 10

    Gently push circular bases into greased muffin tin.

11. 11

    Fill each pastry base with 2 tbsp of filling and add a pastry star to the top of each pie.

12. 12

    Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until pastry tops are golden and cooked.

13. 13

    Remove and allow mince pies to rest in their tins for 10 minutes.

14. 14

    Transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Enjoy!