a great alternative to mince pies
For the Mincemeat:
3 oz Bramley apples, cored & finely chopped 6 oz mixed dried Fruit (raisins, currants, cranberries, apricotsâŠ) 1 oz vegetarian Suet 2 oz Raw sugar (coconut palm or dark raw muscovado) Juice and grated zest of half an Orange 1 tsp of ground Mixed spice 1 pinch ground Cinnamon 1 pinch ground Cloves 1 pinch grated/ground Nutmeg 1 small handful of chopped Almonds 1 tbsp Date syrup
For the Crunchies:
1 cup Spelt flour
2 cups Spelt oats
1/2 cup ground Almonds
1/4 cup flaked Almonds
1 cup mixed Nuts (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews and pecans work well)
1/4 cup Raw Sugar (or coconut palm sugar)
125 g Coconut oil
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
Approx 5 tbsp Agave nectar (or honey, or maple syrup)
Prepare the mincemeat first. Put all the ingredients for the mincemeat in a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the apple is soft and the mixture is thick, this will take some time. Remove from the heat and place to one side.
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Mix all the dry ingredients together and set to one side. Put the coconut oil, sugar and agave together in a pot and heat gently. Once the sugar has dissolved add the bicarbonate of soda then add the dry ingredients. Stir well. The mixture should be moist and should hold together well. Add more agave if needed. Pour half the crunchie mixture into a deep baking tray and press it really firmly to the bottom, this should be between 1 & 2 cm thick. Then place the mincemeat on top and spread evenly. Finally put on the rest of the crunchie mix and press it down firmly. Turn the oven down to 160 C and bake for approx 15 mins until brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove and cool on a rack. It will be very fragile when hot so you need to allow it to cool for a few minutes before you slice it. Make sure you slice the mixture while it is still warm or it will break apart when you cut it. You can also use round biscuit cutters to cut circular crunchies đ