Vegan Mince Pies

 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This sure is a strange Christmas for us. But how I think of it is we are all in the same boat and missing out on what we are used to or wanted. 

I have had so much time to experiment with my baking and this year I have made my first ever batch of mince meat, and to make it even better, VEGAN mincemeat!

I know how much being a vegan is popular now, so I am sure many of you will love this! I have made some mince pies with my mince meat for friends and family and dropped them off and they are popular, so here, try this new recipe.

Ingredients;

1 large apple, grated

250g dried fruit (I used currants, raisins and mixed peel)

390g glacé cherries 

150g brown sugar

1 satsuma, zest and juice of

1 star anise 

1.5tsp ground cinnamon 

1.5tsp ground ginger  

1 cup orange juice 

1/2 cup port 

1. Add all ingredients into an oven proof pan or dish and stir to combine. Ensure it is covered with a lid or foil.

2. Turn the oven to 100°c and cook for around 60 to 90 minutes, checking and stirring every now and then. 

3. When it is done it will smell fragrant, the sugar melted and a slightly thickened sauce created. The mincemeat can be stored in jars for up to six months. 

4. I then made some vegan pastry using 400g plain flour, 150ml vegetable oil and enough water to bind it into a dough.

5. Using a 12 hole cupcake tin, I used cookie cutters to cut out circles of pastry to line the holes. I then added 1 heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into these and then cut out stars of the pastry and placed on the top.

6. At 180°c the mince pies take 25-30 minutes to bake. Of course, you have to eat one right away, and they are delicious!