Christmas won’t be the same without the pleasure of an innocent mince pie. They are so desirable during the festive season that counting their calories doesn’t really count. I grew to love them myself after I initially thought they were actually stuffed with meat. Of course that was 19, or so, years ago, when I first arrived in London and also didn’t know I would have to make so many cups of tea to go along with them when I married an English man. So a few years ago I started looking for healthier mince pie alternatives. They weren’t that many to find until my sister decided to try making her own, raw, refined sugar free ones, last Christmas. This year she has adapted her recipe, by adding our HONEY as a sweetener.
There is only a wee bit of cheeky organic port added to our mince pie, giving it a punch of sweetness. However this is an optional ingredient, the honey and the added dried fruit do a perfect job without it too!
INGREDIENTS – PIES
85g oat flour
60g almond flour
25g coconut flour
35g coconut oil
3 tbsp honey
METHOD
1. Mix all the ingredients noted above, in a bowl
2. Roll out the superfoods ‘dough’
3. Cut out circles to place in the foil mini pie dishes
4. Cut out various festive shapes (to use to cover the pies later)
5. If you don’t have a dehydrator, use the oven to dehydrate them, at 40 C degrees for 7 hours
INGREDIENTS – ‘MINCE’
Zest and fresh juice of one large orange
Zest of fresh half lemon
60g sultanas (or raisins)
100g chopped dates
60 g chopped dried figs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4-5 cloves
1 star anise
120ml port (optional, if not used, add some extra fresh orange juice)
A handful of flaked almonds
METHOD
1. Mix all ingredients listed above except for the almonds
2. Place them in a saucepan and simmer until the liquid has evaporated (stirring occasionally)
3. Gently fold in the flaked almonds into the mixture
4. Fill in the mini pie dishes with the ‘mince’
5. Place the festive shapes to cover
Merry Christmas!
4