Vegan Mince Pies with Almond Pastry

Vegan Mince Pies with Almond Pastry

          We stayed in Scotland this past Christmas, which gave me the opportunity to try my hand at some traditional British Christmas foods.  Mince pies are something that I wasn't ever really wild about, not being a big fan of normal raisins, so I jumped at the chance to mix things up a bit.  These came out perfect - several people commented that these were the best mince pies they'd ever had.  

          The 26 I made wasn't enough for 6 people (despite also having 4 other desserts to choose from), so be forewarned!  These are actually really easy to make; the mincemeat needs to set up overnight, so the total time is on the long side, but the actual 'work' time isn't too bad.  L had requested an almond pastry crust, and I'm really glad she did, because there is nothing better than almond, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and citrus during the holidays!

There's no need to pre-bake this pastry, as the pies are so small, and there should be just enough to make 26 pies with a small piece of pastry for the top of each one in fun Christmas shapes.

Vegan Mince Pies with Almond Pastry

Total Time: Two days (one hour on day 1, and 3 hours on day 2)

Serves: makes 26, 2 1/2 inch diamter pies

For the filling:

225g (3 or 4) cooking apples (or granny smiths), cored and finely chopped

110g (1 cup) shredded vegan suet

175g (approx 20) dried figs, finely chopped

110g (approx 12) dried dates, finely chopped

110g (approx 1 cup) dried currants

110g (approx 1 1/2 cup)  mixed candied citrus peel (chopped)

175g (3/4 cup) soft dark brown sugar

grated zest and juice of one orange

grated zest and juice of one lemon

25g (2 1/2 tbsp) ground almonds

2 tsp ground spice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

4 tbsp brandy (I actually just used the rum I was making into vanilla)

1/2 tsp vanilla (if not using vanilla scented rum)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and let sit overnight before use, stirring once or twice.

For the pastry:

200g (1 1/2 cup) white flour

175g (approx 1 1/4 cup) ground almonds

175g (3/4 cup) granulated/caster sugar

75g (2/3 cup) vegan suet

60g (4 1/2 tbsp) coconut oil (solid/spreadable)

1 - 3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

Place all the ingredients but the milk and vanilla in a large bowl, and rub the fats into the solids until it resembles a coarse oatmeal.  Then add the vanilla and 1 tbsp of milk and mix.  Add the remaining milk a little at a time until a doughball forms.  Cover with plastic, or place in an airtight plastic bag and refridgerate for 2 hours.  Remove from the refridgerator, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 - 20 minutes before rolling out into the desired shapes.

Assembly:

Prehead the oven to 180C/350F.  Cut the pastry into circles large enough to fill your muffin tray.  Press these down gently, then fill with the mince mixture until level (do not mound up the filling too much).  Cover with cut out pieces of pastry, if desired.   Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown all the way around - you want to make sure the pastry is firm enough to come out of the pan easily.