18 Dec Christmas Fruit Mince Tarts Recipe

A classic treat that’s been enjoyed by Christmas past and now a fond family favourite.

Fruit mince tarts remind me of my amazing mum. Each and every Christmas when I walk through the door, I smell a fresh batch of locally made fruit mince tarts, which Mum always insists I sit down and enjoy with a warm cuppa and a long chat. For me, anything that reminds me of Mum and home is a good thing, so enjoy these beauties and share them with your own family and friends.

Makes: 24 Tarts

Ingredients

450 g (4 ½ cups) almond meal
100 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
80 g (¹⁄³ cup) coconut sugar
3 eggs
2 vanilla pods, split and scraped
125 ml (½ cup) Vanilla Almond Milk
1 egg white, beaten coconut oil spray

Fruit mince

2 green apples, grated finely grated zest and juice of
2 oranges
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
85 g (²⁄³ cup) raisins
85 g (²⁄³ cup) sultanas
90 g (½ cup) dried apricots,
finely chopped
50 g (1 cup) dried blueberries

Method

For the fruit mince, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to the fridge and leave to chill for 3 hours to allow the fruit to soak up all the delicious flavours.

While the fruit is soaking, get started on the pastry. Place the almond meal in a bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the coconut sugar, eggs, vanilla seeds and almond milk, and mix everything together to form a soft dough. Cover in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 24-hole mini muffin tin with a little coconut oil.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and portion it into twenty-four 30g balls, reserving any leftover dough. Flatten the balls into discs and gently press into the muffin holes. Press the pastry into the edges, making sure to cover the sides. Place the tray in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Remove and spray with some coconut oil and bake for 5–10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Place a heaped tablespoon of the fruit mince mixture into each pastry case and either cover completely with more pastry or create a pattern. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg white and bake for 15–20 minutes or until beautiful and golden. Here, I have chosen to keep them as open tarts.

Tip: Left over pastry? Use it to make shapes or patterns to top mince tarts.

This recipe features in and is from Eat Clean by Luke Hines and is published by Pan Macmillan, $39.99, available now in all good bookstores and online.