Vegan Mince Pies

 Hi, this recipe was amazing and so so so simple! I made it for our Christmas
 Party and it wet down a treat. Hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Dietary Info:
-Vegan
-Vegetarian
-No dairy
-Contains Gluten
-No nuts {Unless you count nutmeg}



Makes 24 pies
Takes two hours plus cooling time {Also, it made twice as much mixture as we needed so maybe half the amount of filling or make double the pastry}
Ingredients:
For the filling:
-1 large or 2 medium Bramley​ apples, unpeeled, quartered, cored and cut into small dice
-2 tsp ground mixed spice
-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ground cloves
-1/4 tsp ground ginger
-1/2 tsp fine salt
-100g vegetable suet
-150g raisins
-150g sultanas
-100g prunes, finely chopped
-100g mixed candied peel
-175g soft dark brown sugar
-Zest and juice of 1 orange
-Zest and juice of 1 lemon
-2 tbsp brandy {I didn't use this}
-1 tbsp dark spiced rum {I didn't use this}

For the shortcrust pastry:
- 400g plain flour

- 1/2 tsp salt
-200g vegan block margarine , cut into 1cm pieces

For the glaze:
-2tbsp soya milk
-1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup

Method:
1:Put the diced apples in a large heavy-based saucepan.
Add the spices, salt, suet, mixed dried fruit and candied peel, sugar and citrus zest and juice. Stir well to ensure that everything is evenly distributed. Cover and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally to stop the mixture from sticking to the base of the pan.


2:Once the fat has melted and the apple has softened, turn off the heat — this should take about 20 minutes. {I left it a bit longer as my apple was still very hard and crunchy and I personally prefer it softer}
Allow to cool for 10 minutes then stir in the brandy and rum.{If using} Leave to cool completely.

3:To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the margarine. Rub the fat into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. {Don't use the palms of your hands}
Add 4 tbsp very cold water and, using a knife, mix to form a firm dough. If there are still any floury spots at the bottom of the bowl, add another 1 tbsp water.
Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4:Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) and lightly grease two 12-cup mince-pie trays. {I used a cupcake tray and a muffin tray because I don't have two cupcake trays or muffin trays but cupcake ones would've worked better} Roll out two thirds​ of the pastry to about 3mm {doesn't have to be exact} and, using a 7cm {Mine was around 7cm but not exactly}cookie cutter, cut out as many discs as you can. Then re-roll the scraps into a ball and repeat until you have 24 discs.

5:Repeat the process for the remaining one-third of pastry, this time using a 6cm cutter. Line each cup of the mince-pie trays with the larger discs, then fill each one with 1–2 heaped teaspoonfuls of filling.

6:Brush some water around the top of each mince pie, then press and seal the smaller rounds onto the top to form a lid. Using a fork, pierce the top of each lid.

7:To make a glaze, mix the milk with the maple syrup and use to brush over the top of each pie.

8:Bake for 20–25 minutes until the pastry has turned golden brown. Release the pies from the tray while still warm and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.