Shop-bought mince pies are one of the sweetest things on the Christmas table. A single supermarket pie can carry 15g of sugar or more, and that is before you add brandy butter. Making your own means you control exactly what goes in, and the results are genuinely better: a softer, fruitier filling and pastry that tastes of toasted almonds rather than icing sugar.
One honest note before we start. Dried fruit contains naturally occurring sugars, so these pies are low in added sugar rather than entirely sugar-free. What you remove is the spoonfuls of sugar that usually go into the mincemeat and the sweetened pastry, which is where most of the sweetness in a traditional recipe comes from. The result is a deeper, spicier, more grown-up mince pie. If you are cooking for someone who monitors their blood sugar closely, check with them first and count the fruit.
This makes roughly 1kg, enough for about 24 pies. It keeps for three weeks in the fridge, or longer if you add the alcohol.
Put everything except the alcohol into a heavy saucepan. Warm over a low heat, stirring, until the butter melts and the fruit starts to glisten. Simmer gently for 20 minutes with the lid on, stirring now and then, until the apple has collapsed and the mixture is thick and glossy rather than wet. Take it off the heat and stir in the brandy or juice. Cool completely, then spoon into sterilised jars. It will thicken further as it sits, so do not worry if it looks loose while hot.
Sweetener note: erythritol-based blends can taste slightly cool on the tongue. Taste the mincemeat once cool and add a little more if needed, but keep it restrained. The spices and citrus do most of the work.
Ground almonds keep this pastry short, tender and forgiving. It is softer than a standard shortcrust, so handle it gently and keep everything cold.
Rub the butter into the flour, ground almonds and salt until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs, then stir through the sweetener. Add the egg yolk and almond extract, then trickle in cold water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Flatten into two discs, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. This rest is not optional; it stops the pastry shrinking in the tin.
Heat the oven to 190°C fan, 210°C conventional, or gas mark 6. You will need a 12-hole bun tin.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick. Cut 7cm rounds and press them gently into the tin, easing rather than stretching. Fill each case three-quarters full with mincemeat; overfilling causes boil-overs and stuck pies. For the tops, either cut 6cm lids and seal with a little beaten egg, or cut small stars and lay them loosely on top so the steam escapes. Stars are kinder to a soft pastry and look festive.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the pastry is pale gold at the edges and firm underneath. Almond pastry browns faster than plain shortcrust, so check at 15 minutes. Cool in the tin for five minutes, then lift onto a rack. Dust with a little powdered sweetener while warm if you like, though it dissolves rather than clinging.
Make a double batch of mincemeat in early December and you can produce a fresh tray whenever someone drops in. That, more than anything, is what a proper British Christmas tastes like.
Sugar-Free Design shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on sugar-free baking and low-sugar dessert recipes for uk homes for readers across the UK.
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