My homemade mincemeat is a lower in sugar take on classic British mincemeat for mince pies, sparing none of the taste.

paleo healthy mincemeat

Homemade Mincemeat

There are no mince pies in America.  I repeat there are no mince pies in America.

This shouldn’t bother me, because luckily I know how to make my own mince pies.  Well, I know how to make my own pastry and fill it up with the finest mincemeat I can get my hands on.  Not a problem in London, but with mince pies and also mincemeat being a very British affair, here in the USA jars of imported mincemeat seem to retail at $17.00!  Yesterday I took action against this tragedy and made up my very own batch of mincemeat for pies I will be making later this week.

I can’t wait to introduce this delicious British institution to the Americans – especially as I’ve had to explain to my American pals many times that there is in actual fact no mince in mince meat.  Though traditionally there was, and that’s how these cute little pies got their name.  I’m not sure I would quite fancy the old fashioned version, though. Anyone ever tried one?

There are many variations for mincemeat recipes, no doubt handed down through families, friends, cookbooks and more recently the internet.  Most have more added sugar than I’d like. I’ve just added 50g sugar to my recipe which is way less than you would usually find. I’m certain I couldn’t taste the difference. I also didn’t want to add any candied peel, and instead threw in an interesting mixed dried fruit mix. Do feel free to mix up your dried fruits – as long as you keep the weight / volume as below and pick a range of colours your mincemeat will be beautifully jewelled for Christmas.  I also decided to go for butter instead of the traditional suet.  Not because I think there is anything wrong with well sourced suet, just that it’s harder to come by in these ‘ere parts.

Healthy Mincemeat ingredients

Mincemeat Ingredients

The cooking methods also alter between recipes, some chefs favouring a long simmer, some no heating at all.  For my basic method & what to include I consulted the legendary Mary Berry and also Joy of Baking and went somewhere in-between for my healthier take on the traditional classic.

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Healthy Mincemeat
 
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My homemade mincemeat is a slower in sugar take on classic British mincemeat for mince pies, sparing none of the taste
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 large apple, such as Braeburn, Gala etc peeled and grated
  • ½ cup raisins / 75g
  • ½ cup golden sultanas / 75g
  • ½ cup currants / 75g
  • ½ cup dried cranberries / 65g
  • ½ cup mixed dried fruit: apple, peach, sultana, apricots (NB not traditional) / 60g
  • Zest and juice of an orange
  • ⅓ cup sugar / 50g
  • 4 Tablespoons organic butter, cubed
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 Tablespoon brandy (optional)
Instructions
  1. Add all of the ingredients above (other than the brandy) into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir
  2. When the butter is fully melted, turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir through a Tablespoon of brandy, and decant into sterilized glass jars.
  4. Leave to cool with the lid slightly ajar, then secure tightly and store until you're ready to use.
Notes
Recipe yields approx 2 cups which is approx equivalent to fill a 500ml jar.