Diabetic Mince Pies
I found this recipe on the Diabetes UK website, and thought that it looked good, and would be an excellent Christmas treat for everyone.
Ingredients
- For the pastry
- 150g wholemeal flour
- 75ml rapeseed oil
- 50ml cool water
- For the filling
- 150g vegetarian mincemeat
- 75g apple, grated and unpeeled
- 50g carrot, grated
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 heaped tsp mixed spice
- For the toppings
- ½ apple, finely chopped
- ½ pear, finely chopped
- dash lemon juice
- 1 fresh fig, cut into small wedges
- 3 walnut halves
- 3 glacé cherries, halved
- 2 tsp toasted, flaked almonds • grated orange zest
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Make the pastry by mixing all the ingredients together, then kneading a few times. Roll into a ball, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the mincemeat with the grated apple, carrot, sunflower seeds and mixed spice.
- Roll out the pastry, cut into rounds and line a 12-cup shallow bun tin.
- Add the mincemeat mixture to the pastry cases so they are three-quarters full, then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
- Prepare the toppings (see ingredient list), squeezing lemon juice over the apple and pear to stop browning.
- Just before serving, garnish the pies with a variety of the topping ingredients: wedge of fresh fig and a walnut: 1 tsp apple or pear, plus a cherry: a few flaked toasted almonds with orange zest, or any combination you like – use your imagination!
- For a citrus zing, try adding the grated zest of an orange or lemon to the mincemeat.
- You can also add ground cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger in place of mixed spice.