Allergen-Free Mince Pies

This allergen-free mince pie recipe will make a deliciously crisp pastry. It won’t be soft like the manufactured ones! Making the pastry is surprisingly easy as well. Be sure to keep the ingredients cool though – you can always put them in the freezer temporarily beforehand if needed. If your household has a severe nut allergy, you can always use jam instead of mincemeat as it can be tough to find a jar of mincemeat that doesn’t warn it ‘may contain traces of nuts’.

Ingredients

  • 170g gluten-free plain flour, with extra for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 85g dairy-free sunflower spread
  • Cold water
  • Vegetarian mincemeat, to fill (check for nut traces!)

Instructions

  1. Put the flour and sunflower spread in a food processor (or blender) and pulse quickly, until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
  2. Pour the mixture into a bowl, and then stir in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of cold water and begin to bring the pastry together into a ball with your hands. You’ll probably need somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of cold water to bring it together well. It shouldn’t be sticky. Use as little water as possible to give it a short texture.
  3. Next, dust a surface with your gluten-free flour and roll the pastry out on a flat surface. Then cut into circles using a 6cm (2½ inch) cutter. You’ll also want to cut out smaller circles (or stars!) for lids to use later.
  4. Lift the pastry discs up carefully using a slice and place them into a muffin tray. Gently push them to shape with your fingers. Chill them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then preheat the oven to gas mark 7 (220°C/200ºC fan).
  5. Bake the pastry cases in the oven for roughly 10 minutes until they’re very lightly golden and sandy in texture.
  6. Now for the filling. Generously fill the pastry cases with a teaspoon of mincemeat each. Then pop a pastry lid or star shape on top. Put them back in the oven for a few minutes until the mincemeat starts to gently bubble or the pastry lid is lightly golden.
  7. Take the tray out of the oven and transfer the mince pies over to a wire rack. Let them cool fully before serving.