What a fantastic combination of ingredients to bring this most amazing outcome! A hybridization of two recipes; one for filling and one for casing... Scrumptious keto / low carb mince pies 
The recipe is perfectly possible to make without the addition of sweeteners. So if you wanted to keep it clean keto, then this will work!
The almond flour used here is sourced from RealFoodSource.co.uk its the Organic extra fine variety. this is really fine compared to any other ground / flour out there.Â
Makes 12 pies, Marcos per pie excluding sweeteners: 3.5g carbs 20.6g Fat and 10.2g protein.
Â
Ingredients:Â
Casing -Â
200g almond flour (RFS - defatted @ 5.6g carb / 18g fat per 100g)
220g Cold butter
50g coconut flour (groovy food co)
10g xanthan gum
1tsp baking powder ( clean made from 1/2 tsp tartar and 1/4tsp bicarbonate)
60g cream cheese or mascarpone
2 eggs
Â
Filling -Â
300g courgettes into small squares
85g aldi frozen raspberries
40g aldi frozen blueberries
1 tsp yacon syrup (optional)
60g allulose (optional)
1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, cardamom
Zest of an orange
30g butter for the filling
Â
Steps:Â
Casing -Â
- Weigh out your powdered ingredients into a bowl, mix thoroughly and then sift through colander.
- Whisk the eggs and cream cheese together until fairly homogenised. do not worry if its a bit streaky
- Cut the butter into cubes and add to the dry mix, then add the liquid mix
- Add all ingredients into a food processor and let it all come together.Â
- Remove the dough with oiled hands and create a 'sausage' and wrap it with cling film or parchment paper. store in freezer for 20 minutes.
- Cut the, now cold, dough in to smaller balls, about 30g each, and flatten. I use a tortilla press for an even spread. then use a circle pastry cutter to have a tidy disc
- grease a muffin tin with some butter, then fit each disc in
- using a smaller round cutter that fits the top of the pie, make the 'covers' and set aside.
Filling -Â
- The courgettes are the secret here! they cook out and provide 'bite' and 'meat' to the filling. cut them into cubes.
- Prepare your spices! I use whole spice which I then grind up fresh to provide the best aroma. if you do choose to do this, ensure its also sifted before adding to your bowl
- In a saucepan, add all the ingredients of the filling and set on a medium low heat to start the cooking process.
- The fruit will melt and start looking its moisture, this is exactly what we need. if you feel that the filling is still too wet, then add a table spoon of ground chia seeds. its a fantastic moisture absorber
- Taste the filling as you go, add more spice if you feel the need. zest over some orange peal.
- Once ready, cool to touch then spoon in equal amounts of the filling into the cases
- Cover the pies with the smaller discs made earlier and crimp their tops using a fork to seal
- bake in oven at 175C for 18 minutes, keep an eye on then so they do not burn!
These go fantastically with homemade custard and best served warm!