Raw Vegan Mince Pies

For the crust:

140g rolled oats
450g raw cashew nuts
20g coconut flour
130g RAW Organic Acacia Flower Honey
5-7 tbsp. orange juice
1-2 tsp. mixed spice
Pinch of salt

For the filling:

240g pitted dates
130ml orange juice
2 tsp. mixed spice
Zest of one orange
125g raisins
2 eating apples, chopped into small pieces
70g dried cranberries

Blend the oats in a food processor until they become a flour.

Add the cashews and blend until they are the consistency of breadcrumbs.

Add all of the other ingredients (starting with 5 tbsp. orange juice) for the crust and blend until everything is well combined and you have a soft, but not too sticky, dough. You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor to make sure everything blends well. If it looks too dry add 1-2 tbsp. more orange juice, if it looks too wet add another tbsp. of coconut flour. You should be able to roll it out on a clean surface without it sticking.

Divide the dough into 3 parts. Reserve one part for the topping and use the other 2 parts for the base of the mince pies.

Take a small handful of the dough for the base and press it into a tart tray. We used individual tin cases which make removing the dough easier later on. If you are using a standard tart tray, you may wish to line it with cling film. Press the dough down to about 3-4mm thick, making it as even as possible up the sides as well. Use a sharp knife to trim the tops off to make it neater, reserving the excess trimmings to use again.

When you have filled all of your cases / your tray tin, put them in a dehydrator for around 4 hours until they hold their shape without the tin. At this point, remove them from the tin / cases and dehydrate further for another 8+ hours until hard. If you do not have a dehydrator you could try doing this in an oven at 45 degrees celcius.

Meanwhile, on a clean surface, roll out the dough for the tops to about ½ a centimetre thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes for the top (we used stars). Make sure you make enough for the number of bases you have made.

Put these in the dehydrator as well for around 8 hours, or until hard.

To make the filling, blend the dates, orange juice, spice and orange zest in a food processor to form a paste.

Roughly chop the raisins, apple and cranberries. Add these to the food processor and pulse so that everything is combined. Store the mincemeat in the fridge until ready to use.

When the cases are ready, remove from the dehydrator and let cool. Fill each case with the mincemeat and top with the stars. Dust with coconut flour before serving.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place.