Healthy Fruit Mince Pies
For some fun and since I am always up for a challenge, I recently joined The Recipe Redux, a group who “aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.” Their strap-line is “because every healthy recipe deserves to be delicious.” What a brilliant concept – one I definitely wanted to support and be part of 🙂
and on that note, here are some delicious fruit mince pies!!
Every month they set a theme for their members (dietitians, nutritionists and other health focused bloggers – and which now includes ME!) to create a delicious and healthy recipe. This month’s theme is…
Grab a Book & Cook
It’s the end of the year and we’ll be taking a moment to reflect: ReDux has been around for 42 months! To celebrate, we’re playing a little party game this month: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 42 or 142. We can’t wait to see the books you’re cooking from these days – and how you make that recipe healthier.
(Of course, please don’t forget to give credit the original recipe – and change enough of the recipe to make it your own!)
So I grabbed the closest (non-healthy) cookbook – Nigella Lawson’s “How To Be A Domestic Goddess” – the recipe on page 42 is for Carrot Cupcakes with Cream-Cheese Icing. Unfortunately I had posted a similar recipe idea back in September. I considered re-posting it as they are delicious – see Carrot and Quinoa Cupcakes with Tofu Cashew ‘Cream’, but thought again.
carrot and quinoa cakes with tofu cashew ‘cream’
Then I was around at a girlfriend’s place who was wanting to make Fruit Mince Pies and had a magazine open on page 42 with a recipe for Fruit Mince Pies! Given the proximity to Christmas, this was too good an opportunity to miss 🙂
I set about making a healthier version of the fruit mince middle and a higher fibre, lower sugar and lower fat pastry. They turned out to be rather fine….
Actually, they are very, very delicious! My first recipe re-dux done 🙂 YUM!
- Fruit Mince:
- 1 large lemon
- 1 granny smith apple, grated
- 125g dates
- 125g currants
- 125g raisins
- 1 tablespoons orange marmalade
- ¼ cup brandy
- Pastry:
- 1 cup oats
- ½ cup wholemeal plain flour
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 60g butter (use vegan butter or coconut oil for vegan version)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Fruit Mince:
- Start by zesting and juicing the lemon. Place both in a medium sized saucepan and set aside.
- Put the remaining skin of the lemon in another saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil, and cook for 30 minutes, topping up the water as needed.
- Drain and process the lemon skin in a food processor to form a smooth paste.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of this paste to the saucepan with the lemon zest and juice, along with the apple, dried fruit and marmalade.
- Place saucepan over low heat and cook gently, with the lid on for about 10 minutes, but removing the lid and stirring every few minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding the brandy.
- Set aside until ready to use. If not using straight away, store in the fridge
- Pastry:
- Add oats, flour, coconut, honey, butter and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mix starts to come together.
- If you have time, rest pastry in the fridge for 15 minutes, otherwise proceed as follows.
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees (fan forced) and have two 12-hole, 1½ tablespoons capacity, round-based patty pans ready to use.
- Roll pastry disc between 2 sheets baking paper until 3mm thick.
- Using a 7cm round cutter, cut 24 rounds from pastry, re-rolling pastry scraps as necessary.
- Line holes of prepared pans with rounds.
- Using a 5cm star-shaped cutter, cut 24 stars from pastry.
- Spoon 1 level tablespoon fruit mince into each hole, pressing with back of spoon to level.
- Top each with a star.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until pastry is golden.
- Set aside for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
Original recipe was in Super Food Ideas December 2010 issue pages 42-43.
ready for the oven…
Per Fruit Mince Pie: 391kJ or 93 calories; P 1g Fat 3g SFat 1.8g CHO 14g Fibre 1.5g
Loading InLinkz ...
I’m so excited to try this. I didn’t know you could make mince pies without meat! And that thought has been daunting …to make with meat. So thank you…and WELCOME to ReDux!
Hi Serena – I couldn’t agree more. Never tried a mince pie with meat, and never will!! Let me know how you go with these ones and thanks for the welcome 🙂