Gluten Free Mince Pies

Mince pies signal the start of the Christmas season and there’s nothing more festive than filling the kitchen with the warm scent of cooking mince pies. While it may be easier to grab a pack of mince from the supermarket, they just don’t do justice to a properly baked buttery mince pie.

Now, if you’re looking for a gluten-free mince pie recipe, then this is the recipe for you. It’s very easy to make a mincemeat pie recipe gluten-free. In fact, you won’t be able to tell the difference between this one and a normal mince pie. The shortcrust pastry is made using a gluten-free flour blend, and the mince pie filling is naturally gluten-free.

While this is traditionally a Christmas recipe, they are so good there would be no surprise if people were baking these all year round.

People are sometimes put off making gluten-free pastry as it can seem a bit tricky. But go ahead and dare to follow this recipe, and you’ll realise just how simple, enjoyable and tasty it really.

Method

1. The first step is to make the gluten-free shortcrust pastry. To make the pastry, mix the flour and xanthan gum together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Cut your butter into small cubes. Keep it as chilled as possible. Now add it to the flour mixture.
3. If you’re mixing by hand, then rub the flour into the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you want to use a blender, simply put the flour mixture and butter into a food mixer until it resembles the same state.
4. Now stir in the icing sugar or caster sugar.
5. Crack each egg and beat them in a separate bowl, then add the water. Now slowly add them to the mixture and bring the whole mixture comes together in a pastry ball.
6. Place your shortcrust pastry dough in a plastic sandwich bag or cling film and chill in the fridge between 30 minutes to 1 hour. Just before taking it out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 180 C for a fan-assisted oven and grease your pastry cases or cupcake tin.
7. Once chilled, sprinkle gluten-free flour on a clean work surface and unwrap the pastry from the cling film. Flatten and roll the pastry to 3-4 mm thick.
8. Once you have rolled out the pastry, use the 10 cm round cookie cutter to cut out 13 pastry circles. Gently fit the circles into each pastry case or muffin tray.
9. Reroll your pastry and use your smaller circular cookie cutters to cut out the pastry lid of your pies. You can optionally use a star cookie cutter to make pastry stars for a more stylish mincemeat pie.
10. Fill your bases with the mincemeat fruit mix and place the pastry lids on top. Press the edges to secure.
11. Egg wash your pastry or wash with the milk.
12. Now place in the oven for 25 minutes. (check them regularly for about 10 minutes before the end as different ovens cook this recipe at slightly different paces).
13. Take out the oven, allow to cool.
14. To make these pies extra special, you can serve them with thickened cream and even sprinkle them with extra icing sugar to give them a wintery feel.
15. Enjoy.

Gluten-free mince pies recipe baking tips

Tip one

Make sure you use cold butter to make the shortcrust pastry. You don’t want the butter to melt into the flour, as this will affect how nicely the shortcrust pastry turns out. For this reason, try to make sure your pastry mixture doesn’t reach room temperature while you are making it.

Tip two

If you choose to use star cutters (or any other shape) for the mince pie pastry lid, make sure it reaches the edges; otherwise it will sink into the filling.

Tip three

Keep checking on your gluten-free mince pies as they cook, as different ovens will cook at a different rate.

Gluten-free mince pies FAQ’s

Can I make these gluten-free mince pies dairy and egg-free?

Yes, this is very easily done. Just replace the butter with a dairy-free margarine or vegan ‘butter’ to make dairy-free mincemeat pies. Make sure you use an egg wash instead of milk also.

However, this recipe can’t be made without eggs.

Is Xanthan Gum Essential, and where can I get it from?

Yes, as we are not using wheat flour, xanthan gum is needed to bind the mixture together.

What is the mincemeat filling made out of, and where do I buy it?

The filling is made from dried fruit that that is stewed with spics to get the distinctive flavour of mince pies. It can be easily bought at the supermarket. However, you need to make sure you get the gluten-free option as some can contain gluten.

If you are struggling to find a gluten-free option at the supermarket, then you should be able to find one very easily online.

As you can see, this is a really simple and straightforward recipe that delivers amazing gluten-free mince pies. If you’re serving them to guests, they would never know these are gluten-free mince pies. They will really make your Christmas that extra special knowing you baked them yourself and chose not to go the store-bought way. Baking your own Christmas treats like this makes the season all the more fun.

Equipment

• Pastry cutter (10 cm circle)
• Rolling pin
• Food Processor (optional)
• Pastry case (multiple) OR cupcake/ muffin tray.
• shaped cookie cutter