One of the best things about Christmas is the food. Despite what any carnivore tells you, there is so much more to the festive feasts than just meat! And in 2018, there is so much on the table to offer vegans that everyone can enjoy the delicious delicacies that the season brings. Here’s a great vegan mince pie recipe which you can offer at any party or just make for yourself to snack on over the yuletide celebrations.

Ingredients

For the mincemeat

  • 1 large apple (around 200g), peeled and grated
  • 200g mixed dried fruit
  • 390g jar black cherries in kirsch
  • 100g skinless hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 150g dark brown sugar

For the pastry

  • 400g flour
  • 200g coconut oil, straight from the fridge (as solid as possible)
  • 20g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 50ml ice-cold vodka
  • 50ml non-dairy milk, for brushing

Method

  1. Heat your oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4. Pour all the mincemeat ingredients into a roasting tray or casserole dish, making sure to include half off the kirsh from the jar of cherries. Mix it all together and cover with a lid or a sheet of foil. Bake this for 35-40 minutes until all the sugar has melted, the mixture is slightly bubbling at the edges and the liquid has reduced (the mixture firms a bit as it cools, so be sure to not over-reduce)
  2. To make the pastry: tip the flour and coconut oil into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in the sugar and pulse again just to combine before pouring in the vodka and 2 tbsp of ice-cold water and pulse until the pastry is just coming together.
  3. If a little dry, add another 2 tbsp of water then tip the dough onto a clean surface and pat into a disc with your hands. Wrap in cling flip and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Take the pastry out of the fridge and cut one third of the pastry and keep covered under a tea towel. Then cut the rest into five chunks and squeeze each chunk with your hands until malleable, then roll out onto a well-floured surface to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut circles out using a 9cm cookie cutter and line 18 holes of two 12 hole cupcake tins. Repeat this with the rest of the pastry chucks, re-rolling off-cuts where necessary.
  5. Place a heaped spoonful of mincemeat into the middle of each circle and place the pies in the fridge. Take the remaining pastry from under the tea towel and roll out to 0.5cm thickness. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Chill for 15 mins to firm up.
  6. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Remove the pastry sheet from the fridge and use an 8cm cookie cutter to cut out nine circles, then use a star cutter to cut out the middles. Bring the mince pies out of the fridge and top them with the stars. Use your fingers to seal the tops and bases, then brush the tops with milk. Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and the tops are golden. Cool a little, then dust with a little icing sugar to serve.

Are you a fan of mince pies? What’s your favourite festive treat?

Jazz

Jazz is a Disney, tea and pop culture enthusiast with a passion for blogging. Also a proud introvert.

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