Healthy wholemeal mince pie

Why not try a healthy wholemeal mince pie today?

Makes 12 mince pies

Ingredients

Mince pie pastry

300 g fine plain wholemeal flour

2 tsp cinnamon

150 g butter (soft)

100 g caster sugar

12 tbsp orange juice

Mince pie Filling

2 medium apples

1 pear

100 g sultanas

50 g goji berries (or non-sweetened dray cranberries or more sultanas)

1/4 tonka bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

the juice of an orange

the zest of 1/2 an orange (organic)

the zest of 1/2 a lemon (organic)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

a pinch of nutmeg

a pinch of cloves

Optional

butter for the tray (optional)

some grated coconut flakes for decoration

Equipment

12-hole muffin tray/small pie tray

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 175°C/155°C fan/gas mark 3.

For the pastry

• Put the flour and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and stir to combine
• Cut the butter into small cubes and add them to the mixing bowl.
• Using a fork, mash the butter cubes into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the caster sugar and mix.
• Carefully add the orange juice and knead the dough so that you get a smooth, soft ball of dough. (Add the juice bit by bit and see how the dough looks).
• Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the mince pie filling

• Remove the cores of the apples and pears. Cut them into small pieces.
• Grate the tonka bean with a fine grater.
• Put all the ingredients of the mince pie filling in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for about 15 – 20 minutes so that the ingredients become nice and soft.
• Stir every now and then. Set the filling aside and let it sit while you prepare the dough.

Bringing it all together

Note: Rub a little butter around the insides of your tray (where possible, avoid using non-stick cookware).

• Take the dough out of the fridge and shape it into approx. 15 equal-sized balls. Roll out twelve of them individually and press them into your tray.
• Roll out the rest of the dough (the other three balls) and cut out six stars or hearts with a biscuit cutter. This should be about the same size in diameter as the muffin tins.
• Pour 1 – 2 tbsp of the filling into mince pie pastry and cover with the star/heart dough cover. Bake the mince pies for approx. 15-20 minutes/until golden brown (Check on the mince pies every now and then).
• Remove from the oven and let them cool after baking so that the dough can harden.

Optional: Once cooled down, sprinkle some coconut flakes on top.

Tip: If you don’t have goji berries or don’t like them, you can replace them with the same amount of sultanas or dried cranberries (without added sugar).

Why this is better for you

We are using wholemeal flour for this recipe. Wholemeal flour is ground cereal grain from which only the hard outer layer has been removed. The grain husk is rich in fibre and vitamins, and there are also healthy nutrients inside. The most important substances in whole grains are B vitamins, minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and secondary plant compounds. There is increasing evidence that a diet high in fibre reduces breast cancer risk.

We tried to reduce the sugar content and didn’t use any added sugar for the mince pie filling. This helps reduce the number of calories. Consuming too much sugar can promote weight gain, and being overweight increases breast cancer in men and post-menopausal women.

Find more healthy recipes and tips here.

Enjoyed this mince pie recipe and are craving more like this? Breast Cancer Uk’s brand new recipe e-book is out now! Download (for free) ‘Organic Flavours’ today. What are you waiting for? Get cooking.