I know what some of you are thinking... More mince pies?! YES! ...I like options... variety... This year I made more mini mince pies. I looked at my recipe from last year and felt like a change, and came up with these little cuties instead -- they were the first thing to go from a vast assortment of desserts at the table, and a few people went for thirds... These were even gone before the tiramisu o.O I was surprised! But not too surprised -- they were really good after all...
Sorry I wasn't able to share these before the holidays for those who celebrate with mincemeat... This recipe was a spur of the moment creation before the arrival of guests that turned out delicious. Sometimes these things happen quite unpredictably... I just find myself drawn into the kitchen and boom. No planning... just riding the waves of what comes... These little pies were too delicious to hold off on making for another year though... So even though the holidays are over, there's no reason not to enjoy these now anyhow. No such thing as out of season cookies and pie ;)
You may have noticed I've been slowly reworking many of my older recipes alongside creating new ones. These days less is more. I like things simpler, with fewer ingredients. Less oil, "gums" and the like where possible. Less cooking, more eating... and I've embraced my "nuttiness" ;) and started to work with them more in baked goods. To be clear, I've always loved baking with nuts (though had a spell for a few years of being unable to eat them, so I can totally relate to the non-nutters out there), but a large focus in my recipes throughout last year were recipe requests that involved no nuts. And actually recipe requests that involved "no many things"... I'm always happy to do those of course. But there's also something fun about crafting things to your own taste too or just following some murmur of inspiration... and that's how this year I ended up with these new mini minces instead of my recipe from the previous year.
That said, I decided to leave my older recipe intact rather than replacing it entirely, in case you too need options... variety... ;) or just a nut-free alternative.
So these pies... As you can see, they're very mini! More like a cookie than a pie almost. You can of course turn this recipe into larger pies -- the size is entirely up to you. What matters is that they only take a few minutes of prep and some yummy ingredients you'll have a hard time resisting eating all up with a spoon before they make it into the pie... that's the true test of something good, isn't it? :)
The crust comes together very easily and is shaped by hand, so no major rolling required (unless you like rolling, in which case, do your thing... This dough definitely rolls). There's just a tiny bit of mandatory rolling in the end -- unless you're really nimble and good at freehand cutouts ;) . To make those mini cutouts on top in a jiffy, use either some tiny cookie cutters or the inserts from your linzer cookie set (that's what I used).
The filling I made this year requires no cooking. Just blending some dried fruit, some orange extract, mince spices, and apricot jam into a delicious concoction... Works a treat. I used my homemade apricot jam, but a store bought fruit-sweetened variety will work just fine too, if you prefer. The orange extract is key to the yummiest mince, but if you can't find any around, try grating some orange zest in instead and a squeeze of orange juice. But the extract is a great way to infuse these with the most amazing flavor quickly and easily.
The last thing I'll mention is that the creaminess of the nut butter matters here for the crust, so you may need to adjust the amount ever so slightly. Start with the amount specified in the recipe, and if you find your dough isn't doughy enough, add a tiny bit more at a time until you can roll it into a soft, pliable, and mostly smooth dough ball.
P.S. Have a look at this older recipe for a nut-free alternative or if you prefer a traditional cooked mincemeat filling. The filling here is rather fast-lane, but promise it won't disappoint :)
P.P.S. The white stuff is my usual powdered sugar substitute -- dairy-free coconut milk powder for the snowy look. Totally optional. Totally fun ;)
PrintQuick & Easy Mince Pies
A simple, gluten-free mini mince pie recipe that can be assembled quickly when you're short on time. Dairy-free and made without refined sugars.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini pies
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup rice flour (brown or white)
- ½ cup almond flour
- 4 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pure orange extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Mince:
- ⅓ cup apricot jam (I used homemade; can use a store-bought fruit-sweetened jam instead)
- ⅓ cup dried fruit mix (mostly raisins, but can include dried cherries, dried currants, dried cranberries, etc.)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pure orange extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp of each: nutmeg, cloves, ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
Optional Topping:
- dairy-free coconut milk powder for dusting.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a mini-muffin pan and set aside.
- Process all crust ingredients in a food processor into a uniform sticky mixture. Remove a quarter of the mixture and set aside. Grab a bit less than a tablespoon's-worth of the remaining mixture with your hands and roll into a little ball, then flatten into a disk, place inside one of the muffin tray cups and shape into a crust along the base and edges with your fingers. Repeat with remaining mixture until all the cups are lined. Use a fork to press in a ribbed edge all around the top of each crust (optional).
- Process all mince filling ingredients into a uniform mixture in a food processor. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the mixture into each mini-pie (you should have about 1-2 tablespoon remaining as extra as backup).
- Roll out the remaining tiny bit of crust dough remaining between two sheets of parchment into a 1/16" thickness (or even a bit thinner). Use a tiny cookie cutter to make little star cutouts (or any other shape -- I used the tiny cutters from my linzer cookie set). Top each pie with a star, gather any remaining dough and repeat until you have enough to top each mini pie.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 mins. Cool completely on a wire rack, dust with dairy-free coconut milk powder (optional) and enjoy!
Sylvia says
Interesting recipe and very eager to try it out. I love Christmas mince pies but am limited in my intake. May I ask the purpose of the maple syrop? I suffer from Candida and try as much as possible to not include any type of sugars or sweet in my food. Will your recipe work without the syrop? Thanks so much.
The Real Person!
Hi Sylvia. The maple is used for sweetness and flavor, but it also has a textural purpose. So in the crust, when it mixes quickly in the processor it warms up and changes the consistency of the dough as a result. I've tried to make a similar crust without the syrup and found that you then need a different ratio of liquid to solids. So you can omit the maple syrup from the crust and replace it with some almond milk for example, but then you might need to add more of it to adjust the consistency of the dough until you reach something that sticks when you pinch it with your fingers as a test and at the same time isn't too dry so it doesn't crumble once baked.
In the filling, again, if you prefer not to use the maple you can just use bit more apricot jam, etc.
Hope this helps!
Sylvia says
Hi Audrey, Thanks for your feedback. I will be working on my portion sometime this week. My daughter and I just finished baking the regular ones so I have more time to concentrate on your exciting recipe. I really appreciate it. I crave anything that is as similar to dough as possible and could not find one that matches my needs until I came across your site. Have you ever created a recipe for no wheat, egg or dairy "bread"? Anything that could help me overcome my weakness will do LOL! Again Thanks so much and have a great week. If successful I will share my experience.
The Real Person!
Thanks Sylvia. Good luck with it!
On the blog I've been focusing more on desserts. I do have one flat-bread on the blog you can tryout: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-irish-potato-farls/ (the maple syrup is for flavor, so can omit easily).
These "crepes" can be used as a savory wrap: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/easy-basic-sweet-savory-crepes-gluten-free-dairy-free-egg-free/
Also I find when I'm in the mood for bready things with no bread around, sometimes pancakes help :) https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/easy-4-ingredient-gluten-free-eggless-dairy-free-refined-sugar-free-blender-pancakes/
You can make an easy basic dough (I sometimes use it for a makeshift pizza crust -- it's a bit more like a flat bread tbh) by combining some Pamela's gf artisan flour mix (or perhaps another GF flour blend, though I haven't experimented here) with water. I can never remember the correct ratios as I make it up as I go along (typical!), but start with something like 3/4 cup flour + 1/2 cup water -- process in a food processor with a dough kneading attachment. If after processing it's too sticky / wet, add more flour, if too dry, add a bit more water. You can also add a pinch of salt or some spices in it if you prefer. This dough also makes good crackers.
Another thing, and this is one of my husband's favorites is socca, which is a chickpea flour flat bread (usually just involves chickpea flour, water, and a bit of olive oil). These are so easy to make. Here's an example of a recipe: https://pinchofyum.com/one-ingredient-socca (you can google lots more). Makes a good makeshift pizza crust as well :)
I don't have these often, but sometimes I'll just buy bread -- there's a good brand here called Little Northern Bakehouse that makes GF vegan breads that's pretty good. Or if I'm visiting Toronto, on the rare occasion I'll grab a loaf from Gemaro bakery (they make a good gf vegan "rye" bread, and other interesting flavors). Maybe there's something like that that you can find near where you are..
B says
Hello Audrey!
Hoping to make these for the holiday season as they were a ritual favourite before my Mum & I went gluten-free!! My grandmother used to make them constantly around the holidays, and did make a GF version before I had SO MANY sensitivities - but she is by no means a baker and they were awfully flour-y!!! Gosh to have authentic mince pies once again - sigh!! :D I do have a few questions before embarking if you don't mind - I don't currently have almond butter in the fridge (a sad week until my order comes in! :)) - would macadamia nut butter work?? Also - I have to use only soaked nuts - so I make my own almond flour from soaked & dried almonds - would this work for the almond flour (I can't get it quite as fine as the store-bought and had a bit of a problem using it in your crescent cookies sadly)? Lastly - I love the filling composition of your first mincemeat - would anything work for apple butter (totally admit I don't have the patience right now to wait to make it!!! :)). Thanks so much & happy Yule!
The Real Person!
Hi B -- so sweet of your grandmother to make you gf ones ?
In terms of texture, macadamia butter will work, but it will change the flavor quite a bit so I can't fully vouch for it. That said, if all I had was macadamia butter on hand, I'd totally give it a try ?
A meal made from soaked and dehydrated nuts is totally fine. Just make sure you grind it as fine as you can.
I'm not seeing apple butter in this particular recipe though. Do you mean the apricot jam?
Ok, all that said, just wanted to say that is a fair bit of substitutions for a recipe. Personally I think it should still turn out great, but I wouldn't expect to have it look / taste as pictured. But I wouldn't be discouraged by that because I'm totally an experimenter and if all I had was limited resources / restrictions, I'd find ways to make things work ??
P.S. were the almond crescents too gritty because of the coarser flour?
Bella says
Hi Audrey - sorry for not answering sooner after you took the time to write such a sweet reply to my frantic baking questions {you know how it is when you really are hankering to make something and then suddenly realize you don't have everything on hand! :) }!!!
I didn't end up making them as like you said, it seemed like way too many changes and I really wanted them to turn out as intended... so now that I have almond butter on hand, hopefully will get to try them out soon!
I'm wondering what the main difference is between these mince pies and the older recipe that uses b. rice flour in the crust? I was planning to use the mincemeat filling from the older recipe as I like that it has the more authentic flavour components as I remember them (sorry for the confusion - that's what the reference to apple butter came from!), but this crust recipe sounds softer and more buttery ... would they work together alright or best to try them separately?
P.S. I think that may have been the problem with the almond crescents not turning out - I've since figured out a way to get the soaked & dried homemade almonds flour to be finer and work properly in recipes that is SO WORTH sharing as I wish I'd discovered earlier .... after the almonds have been soaked, de-skinned & dried (I don't dehydrate mine, just spread them out on a towel & let the most of the moisture leave them), process in food processor for a few min. until they become as fine as you can get them, then add a bit of flour (around 1/2 TB-1 TB of superfine brown rice flour per cup is what I've been doing) and process again - the flour should end up much finer. Then when I go to add said flour to the recipe in which its needed, I add the amount of almond flour needed to food processor again with any other flour needed and let them grind together to make it extra-fine. Since doing this I haven't had any issues. It kinda seems like a lot of work, but it's really only take a bit of effort & if you have sensitivities & need to have nuts soaked it totally pays off!!
The Real Person!
I think the older filling would 100% be perfect for these. I prefer the crust here because it's a bit softer and easier to work with. The other crust was tailored for someone asking for a lot of things to be excluded, which worked, but this one is a lot nicer in my opinion.
Thank you so much for sharing that technique btw -- very interesting. I've not tried that before, but I see what you mean and it sounds like a really good idea :)
Kiki says
Would all purpose flour work here? I'm not gluten free but these look so amazing. I don't have access to any gf flours :(
The Real Person!
Hi Kiki, I haven't tried it, but it should work just fine. I tried it with brown rice, white rice, and sorghum flours and all worked great... I can't see why a wheat flour wouldn't work. If the dough seems a little too dry for any reason, just add a tiny touch more almond butter and you should be good to go.
Melissa @ vegan does it says
"No such thing as out of season cookies and pies" I couldn't agree more! Although I've never actually had mince pies. These little guys are just the cutest though and definitely sound like something I would enjoy!
The Real Person!
That's interesting -- judging from the comments, seems like nobody here has had a mince pie! o.O Maybe they're an older generation thing (not that I'm old! :D ), but I mean they are becoming more dated...?!? I absolutely love them nonetheless ♥
Natalia says
These look so sweet and beautiful, perfect to decorate your table during these special holidays! Love the ingredients used!
The Real Person!
Thank you, Natalia! They did look very festive -- especially with the sprinkled powdered milk.
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
Oh my they are so tiny! I mean i knew they were mini and all, but seeing them in context to fingers they are the cutest little guys! No wonder they disappeared so fast, who can resist an adorable bite-sized pie? I've never had mincemeat, not a tradition in my house, but its seems like something I would love with the fruits and the spices <3 I am enjoying your recipe renovations, it's neat to see how your style has changed and to have options...plus I like the no-bake filling, SO much easier (definitely something to eat by the spoonful :))!
The Real Person!
Yes, I'm very much enjoying the renovations too :) And yes, they are so tiny, but surprisingly really flavorful :)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I've never had any type of mince pie, but they are such a classic you always hear about! These are lovely and so cute and personal ;) Must try!
The Real Person!
They are fun. The original is a little strange for me to comprehend -- beef flavor + fruit... m'knothankyou... But these little guys I love.