Gluten Free Mince Pies

I don’t want to speak for him, but if Santa had to go gluten free, I think he’d be over the moon to find a couple of these gluten free mince pies waiting for him when he rolled slipped down the chimney on Christmas Eve.

These delightful little morsels have all the flavour of a traditional fruit mince pie, but with an easy-to-make gluten-free dough.

The #1 thing that makes these mince pies so easy is that we’re not using a traditional pastry 😬

One year when I was making Christmas cookies using my gluten free sugar cookie recipe, I ended up using some leftover dough to make fruit mince pies for my Dad, who has Coeliac disease (and is a huge mince pie fan!). We were all SO surprised at just how good they turned out, and now this is all that I make.

I know, traditional mince pie purists might baulk at the idea, but hear me out. This dough gives you a mince pie that is sturdy (no crumbling!), crisp and crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth… everything that a shortcrust pastry will give you, but from a dough that is SO much easier to work with.

See..?! 👇🏻

So if you’re willing to be traditionally untraditional with me, then why not try making these this festive season?

Of course, if you really want to use pastry, you can use a store bought or homemade gluten-free shortcrust pastry. You can also use premade gluten-free pastry bases. Here in NZ, Lincoln Bakery make some great pre-baked gluten free pastry cases.

Ingredients

Gluten free flour – I use my homemade gluten-free flour blend, which is a combination of tapioca flour, potato starch and brown rice flour, however you can use your own favourite homemade or store bought gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Please note that as different gluten-free flour blends contain different ingredients, your results may vary from mine if you use a different flour.
Xanthan gum – If you use a gluten free flour blend that contains a gum ingredient (check the ingredients list), then you can omit the xanthan gum from the recipe.
Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.
Sugar – I use caster sugar as it makes for a finer-textured dough, but regular granulated sugar will work well too.
Vanilla – I like vanilla in almost everything, but it’s optional in this dough.
Lemon juice – This is the magic ingredient that stops my gluten free cookie dough from spreading, and in this recipe, it helps the dough keep its shape while it bakes.
Egg – Use one large egg for this recipe, and if you want to do an egg wash on the pies for extra shine, then you’ll need one extra egg.
Fruit Mince – See notes below.

Homemade Fruit Mince or Store-Bought?

Fruit mince is a delicious combination of dried fruit, alcohol, citrus and sometimes nuts.

You can use either homemade or ready-made fruit mince to make these gluten free mince pies.

I used my homemade quick fruit mince recipe, which is deliciously thick and sticky, and can be made with your alcohol of choice (brandy, rum, whiskey, etc.) or made alcohol-free.

It can be made the same day as you want to make your pies, it just needs to cool before you use it. Or you can make it in advance and have it ready to go when you’re ready to bake the pies.

Equipment

Along with the usual baking paraphernalia (spoons, spatulas a mixing bowl, etc.) you will need a handheld electric mixer (or stand mixer or food processor), a 12-hole muffin or tart pan, a set of kitchen scales, a large round cookie cutter and a small star (or any other shape) cookie cutter.

I used a fluted tart pan to make my pies, but a standard-sized muffin pan will also work. You will need a round cookie cutter of the corresponding size that will fit into your pan and up the sides. The cutter I used was 88mm and had a scalloped edge, but a regular round cutter is just fine.

Don’t have a cutter? No worries, you can use a glass or cup instead – cut around it with a knife, and cut out little free-form shapes for the top, or crumble over the extra dough instead.

Sift in the flour and xanthan gum (if using) in two or three additions. I like to stir in the last addition by hand as it can be a bit too stiff for the mixer at this stage.

At this stage, you can roll out the dough straight away, or if it is too soft you can chill it for 5-10 minutes until it firms up. I usually take this time to tidy up the bench.

If you don’t want to make the pies straight away, you can wrap the dough in cling film, pop it into an airtight container or ziplock bag, and store it in the fridge until needed.

Give the dough a brief knead until smooth, then dust a sheet of non-stick baking paper with a little cornstarch or gluten free flour and pat the dough into a disc.

Sprinkle with a little more flour if needed, then roll out to around 3-4mm (1/8″). You can dust the rolling pin with a little flour too, if needed.

Slide the sheet of paper and the dough onto a baking tray, and chill until firm.

Grease your tart pan or muffin tin with some melted butter or a cooking oil spray.

Cut out circles of dough and place into each hole of the pan. The dough may be too firm to press into the holes, if so, just let it rest on the top until it softens slightly, then press it in.

Gently ease the dough down into the holes using the pads of your fingertips. It shouldn’t crack, but if it does, don’t panic, just continue to ease it down, then press the crack back together, or fill it in with a little piece of dough.

Re-roll the dough if necessary until you’ve filled all 12 holes.

Time to fill each pie with fruit mince. I use a large heaped spoonful of mincemeat, which fills the pies almost to the top.

Re-roll the excess dough, then cut out your little shapes for the top and place them on.

Make an egg wash, if you like, by beating an egg and brushing it onto the pies with a pastry brush.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. The exact baking time will depend on how deep your mince pies are. When done, they should be lightly golden brown on top and around the edges.

Gluten Free Mince Pie Tips

• Having the butter at cool room temperature will allow it to combine well with the sugar and other ingredients while keeping the dough firm enough to roll out straight away. But if your butter is softer than that, the dough can be chilled for a few minutes before rolling.
• If your fruit mince is quite wet, it’s a good idea to strain off a little of the liquid, so your mince pies don’t become soggy.
• If you only need a small batch of mince pies, you can use the adjustment button in the recipe card below to choose .5x the recipe, and just make six pies.
• To make fully covered pies, you’ll need to make 1.5x the dough recipe so you have enough. Cut out circles of dough the same size as the top of your pies, using a little water or beaten egg to attach the lids to the pies. Prick a couple of air holes into the lids before baking.

Serving the Mince Pies

These little pies are perfect as is, but look particularly delightful when dusted with icing sugar.

You can serve them warm or cold, and they’re also lovely with a spoonful of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storing

These gluten free fruit mince pies will keep well in an airtight container in a cool place (cool room temperature) for up to a week.

Freezing

Mince pies can be frozen baked or unbaked.

To freeze the unbaked pies – Prepare the mince pies as directed but omit the egg wash. Place the muffin tray in the freezer and freeze the pies until solid, then carefully pop them out of the tray and transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze until needed (up to 3 months), then thaw at room temperature and bake as usual.

To freeze the baked pies – Bake and cool the pies to room temperature, then place them into an airtight container or freezer bag, separating the layers with baking paper, and freeze for 2-3 months. They can be crisped up in the oven on low heat for 5-10 minutes if needed.

Quick Q&A