Gluten-free mince pies

Serves: 12

If you're not able to eat gluten, the number of festive treats you can enjoy seems pretty limited – but what's Christmas without a mince pie? These gluten-free beauties are the masterpiece of recipe writer Pippa Kendrick, who's suffered from food allergies all her life. There are lots of other tempting allergy-friendly recipes on her blog, too, including Christmas cookies, alternative cakes and party food, so there's no danger of you, or a gluten-intolerant guest, missing out!

Ingredients

• FOR THE PASTRY:
• 225g Doves Farm gluten-free plain flour http://bit.ly/VfSCdQ
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 60g Sainsbury’s dairy-free margarine http://bit.ly/Zor66t
• 60g vegetable shortening
• 2 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra
• a small jar of your favourite mincemeat

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5.
2. Put the flour, xanthan gum, margarine, vegetable shortening and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water, pulsing as you go, until the mixture begins to form a dough. You may need to add a third tablespoon of water.
4. Tip the dough into a bowl and, using your fingertips, pull it together to form a ball.
5. Knead the pastry for a minute or so until smooth and elastic to the touch.
6. Shape the pastry back into a ball and place it between two large layers of clingfilm or baking paper.
7. Roll the pastry out to about 5mm thick. Peel off the top layer of clingfilm or baking paper and use a round cutter to cut out the twelve cases.
8. Carefully fit the pastry rounds into a 12-hole muffin tray, then roll out the remaining pastry and cut out the pie lids.
9. Spoon the mincemeat into the pie cases (two teaspoons in each should do it), then place the pastry lids on top of the pies, gently crimping the edges to seal.
10. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the pastry is light and crisp (it won’t colour much).
11. Remove from the oven, scatter over a little extra sugar and leave to cool.