Mince Pie Parcels

Serves: 24 Cooking time: 10 minutes

Delicious little festive bites which use lighter filo pastry and no added fat in the mincemeat. Using Total Sweet Xylitol also makes them free from added sugar, for a healthier but still very moreish take on a Christmas classic

Ingredients:

  • 6 sheets filo pastry - Removed from the fridge half an hour before using, or thawed from frozen
  • 2 tbsp butter, Melted for brushing
  • 225g mixed dried fruit
  • 1 medium cooking apple, Around 175g, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
  • 100g Total Sweet Xylitol
  • 4 tbsp brandy (or orange juice)
  • Finely grated zest and juice of an orange
  • 1 tbsp ground mixed spice
  • 50g blanched almonds or flaked almonds, finely chopped
  • 25g whole breadcrumbs, 1oz or around half a slice, crusts removed

Method:

  1. Stir all of the mincemeat ingredients together and leave to stand for 30 minutes before using to absorb most of the liquid, or put in sterilised jars, seal and store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/350F/gas mark 4. Stack the filo sheets on top of each other and cut them into squares, each around 8-10cm long (any less and the parcels may be hard to pinch together). 
  3. Brush a square lightly with butter, repeat with a second square, lay it diagonally on top of the first and do the same with a third square, so that the corners are offset. Spoon some mincemeat into the middle – less than a tablespoonful in order to stop it from oozing out. Bring the edges of the squares up together, pinch to form a parcel or ‘money bag’ and place on a greased baking sheet. 
  4. Repeat with the rest of the squares, using three squares of filo per parcel and ending up with around 24 parcels. 
  5. Lightly brush the parcels with a little more butter then bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden on top. 
  6. Enjoy these warm in the oven or when cooled, they can also be frozen before baking and cooked straight from the freezer for the usual 10-12 minutes.
Back to Recipes