Buttery homemade shortcrust pastry, filled with the flavours of Christmas, does anything beat a good gluten free mince pie at this time of year?! Whether eaten cold or served warm with a dollop of brandy cream, mince pies are the ultimate festive crowd pleaser and a must try bake for winter.

I’m very proud of my gluten free shortcrust pastry and it works wonderfully for these tasty little mince pies. It’s short and crumbly, yet holds together and lasts well for a few days once baked, simply store in an airtight tin.

You can either use shop-bought mincemeat to make these mince pies, or try my VERY easy and VERY delicious new homemade mincemeat recipe. It makes the yummiest mince pie filling ever and is incredibly simple to make. It knocks the socks off the shop-bought varieties (and can be easily made in advance and stored in the fridge).

How Many Mince Pies Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes 6 deep fill mince pies with lids, or about 8-10 open mince pies. To increase the quantity, simply double or triple the recipe and it will work just as well.

Can I Bake These Ahead of Time/Can I Freeze Them?

Yes, they keep really well for a couple of days. You can warm them in the microwave or oven if you wish, or simply serve them cold. Store them in a cool place in an airtight tin until ready to serve.

They also freeze well – simply defrost at room temperature after freezing and then reheat in oven at 160C for 10 mins.

Can I Make The Pastry in Advance?

Absolutely! You can make it the day before and store it in the fridge. After this long chilling time you will need to rework it slightly to ensure maximum pliability. Simply break into pieces, sprinkle with a few drops of water and then knead until you have a lovely smooth dough again.

What Flour Do You Use?

I have tried the shortcrust recipe both with FREEE gluten free plain flour and Shipton Mill all purpose gluten free flour. They should work fine with other gluten free flour blends too, but those as the two I have tried specifically and would recommend.

Do You Have Any Other Festive Pie Recipes?

I sure do! You have to try my spiced caramel apple pies too, they are delicious! The pastry base is the same as these mince pies, so it is easy to make them both at the same time.

They are filled with a homemade apple and spiced caramel filling and are a lovely alternative for any guests that don’t liked mince pies.

Gluten Free Mince Pie Recipe

You will find the recipe for my gluten free mince pies below and I’ve also added some photos under it to help make it extra easy to follow. However, if you need any help along the way please do DM me on social media (@myglutenfreeguide) or email me at mygfguide@gmail.com.

Also, if you do enjoy this recipe please leave a review on the recipe card below – it makes a world of difference to me :). I love seeing your baking photos too, so send them over!

Happy baking!

Laura xxx

Gluten Free Mince Pies
Yield: Makes 6

Gluten Free Mince Pies

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A classic festive treat made gluten free. Buttery, sweet shortcrust pastry encasing Christmas sweet mince meat. Utterly delicious!

Ingredients

  • 200g mincemeat
  • 1 tbsp milk

For the shortcrust pastry (if using shop bought, you will need 350g pastry):

  • 210g gluten free plain flour
  • 0.75 tsp xanthan gum
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 105g unsalted butter
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1-2 tbsp water

Instructions

    This recipe tells you how to make delicious gluten free shortcrust pastry from scratch, but if you prefer to use shop bought skip ahead to step 6 and go from there:

    1. Sift the flour, xanthan gum and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
    2. Grate the chilled butter into the bowl (use the large grater setting on a cheese grater) and toss the butter strands through the flour with a spoon. Once the butter is coated with flour, use your finger tips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a coarse breadcrumb-like texture.
    3. Beat the egg and add to the bowl. Stir through with the spoon.
    4. Add 1 tbsp water (you may not need the second) and use your hands to bring the ingredients together to form a nice ball of dough. It should come away from the sides of the bowl and the dough will be smooth and pliable. If it is still a bit crumbly, add the second tbsp water and work to combine.
    5. Take a large piece of greaseproof paper (approx 40cm long) and place the ball of dough on the waxed, non-stick side. Press it down gently with your hands to form an oval shape a couple of cm thick. Now fold the paper over to cover the other side of the dough and then fold the edges over so that you have a nice little dough parcel. Now place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
    6. Once chilled, the pastry is ready for use! Preheat the oven to 180C (fan).
    7. Place a 30cm piece of cling film onto your worktop and dust well with gluten free flour. Pop the chilled shortcrust pastry dough on top of the cling film, then greaseproof paper on top of the dough.
    8. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry out to the thickness of a pound coin (3mm). Then cut six circles out of the pastry using a round 10cm cutter.
    9. Grease 6 holes of a muffin tin and tuck a pastry circle into each hole. You want to cover the base and sides of each hole, then use your fingers to press the pastry into shape and cut off any excess if needed.
    10. Divide the mincemeat between the cases, approx 1-1.5 heaped tsp in each.
    11. To top, either cut out a small pastry star or other decoration for an open tart. Or for a closed pie, use a 6cm cutter to create a small circular lid. You will need to use a little beaten egg brushed onto the edge to help seal the lid, or crimp with a fork for a nice tight seal. Use a sharp knife to make two small slits in the centre of the pie lid to allow any moisture to escape during cooking. Brush the pastry tops and decorations with a little milk (optional, but it helps then to become more golden during baking), then pop the mince pies into the oven to bake for 25 minutes at 180C (fan).
    12. Once baked, remove from the tin and set on a wire rack to cool (or eat them warm just beware the mega hot centres!).

Notes

There's enough pastry here to make lids for all 6 mince pies, so it you decide to make open mince pies you'll have enough spare pastry to make a few extra minces pies :).

© Laura Strange (www.mygfguide.com)
Cuisine: Baking / Category: Gluten Free Recipe

For more festive baking ideas, why not try some of my other yummy gluten free recipes that are perfect this time of year:

Enjoy! Laura xxx