This was a special request from Natalie Johnson in our facebook group: Ketogenic Baking. She gave me the Christmas challenge to make a ketogenic fruit pie. I had to do abit of research first because, to be honest, I didn’t know what a fruit or “mince meat” pie was!
What is Mince Meat?
I learned it is a sweet, flavorful mixture of fruit (usually apples, cranberries, raisins and currants) cooked with brandy, lemon, suet, brown sugar, and nutmeg wrapped up in a flaky crust. There is no actual meat!
Right off the bat, I’m looking at a recipe that heavily features non-keto ingredients… Fruit, especially dried fruit is not included in a keto diet, neither is sugar or a wheat-based pie crust. What to do?!
Here’s where the fun begins… a little bit of this, a little bit of that…
This is “first round” recipe.
I’m not familiar with the traditional mince meat pie flavor or texture. This was a fun challenge I took on but I feel like I need some additional taste testers to really perfect the recipe.
My questions:
- How does this recipe compare to a traditional version?
- Is mince pie best served warm or chilled?
- Who would prefer these as mini pies (made in muffin pan)? *I think best for portion control.
- Is coconut the best choice crust? Would almond or other nut be better?
- Whipped cream or not?
Macros are calculate 12 servings (normal for sweet pies).
Macros per serving:19.8 g fat, 8.6 g carb, 4.6 g net carb, 3.7 g protein.
See my final thoughts posted below the recipe.
Ketogenic Mince Meat Pie
Ingredients
Filling
- 150 grams shredded apple 1 large
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons Keto brown sugar substitute or erythritol (use to balance brandy)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice (1/2 orange)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon star anise seed
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon clove powder
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- lemon and orange zest
- 1 cup walnuts
- Brady to taste suggested 3 tablespoons
- Heavy cream for whipping
Crust
- 2 whole eggs
- ½ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons Keto brown sugar substitute or erythritol
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Whisk eggs in a small mixing bowl. Add the butter.¼ cup butter, 2 whole eggs
- Mix the coconut four, Lakanto, cinnamon and salt in a second bow. Add to eggs, mix until dough forms.¾ cup coconut flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons Keto brown sugar substitute
- Roll the dough into a ball and press into a greased 8 or 9-inch pie pan. Prick the dough multiple times with a fork.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly brown. Add the filling and chill or serve warm.
Filling
- Simmer apples and butter in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes.150 grams shredded apple, ½ cup butter
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the walnuts and brandy. Simmer for 5 more minutes while you chop the nuts in a food processor or by hand. Pulse them to a fine crumble and add to the saucepan while it finishes simmering.1 ½ tablespoons Keto brown sugar substitute, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon star anise seed, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, ½ teaspoon clove powder, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, lemon and orange zest, Brady to taste, 1 cup walnuts
- Remove from heat, add brandy. Cool and fill the crust. Spread flat with the back of a spoon.
- Serve warm or chilled. Best with whipped cream.Heavy cream for whipping
Nutrition & Macros
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Final Thoughts
FILLING– Sweet, caramelly. Warm flavors (cinnamon) mixing nicely with spicy flavors (cardamom, star anise). At first I thought there wouldn’t be enough to fill the pie, but I was wrong. *Add brandy and erythritol in a proportion that will give a nice balance to the flavor. I suggest a 1:1 or 1:1/2 brandy:erythritol.
CRUST – I love my coconut flour crust recipe. The original base is the Savory Coconut Flour Crust from The Ult Guide to L-C Baking. I adapted it with cinnamon and a bit of Golden lakanto. Upon first bite, it was a little dry but after adding some whipped cream, just perfect! Be sure not to overcook the crust, this will make it more dry. I think I may have left it in 5 minutes too long.
If I were to make this again, I think the Pecan Meal Crust (page 199) would be very good!
Looking forward to hearing your tastes and views.
Happy December to all!