Gluten-Free Apricot & Fig Mini Tarts

Ingredients
(Makes 12 tarts)

Filling

• 200g dried fruits (I used apricot, fig and cranberries but really any dried fruit would work)
• 50g nuts (almond, apricot, brazil, pecans, walnuts etc.)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 small pear, chopped very finely or grated
• 1 small apple, chopped very finely or grated
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• optional: 2 tbsp chcoclate chips

Pastry
Note: pastry is rather crumbly but very nice and crispy!.

• 180g jumbo oats (certified gluten free if necessary)
• 20g dessicated coconut
• 4 tbsp oil (rapeseed, sunflower or neutral tasting olive oil)
• 4 tbsp cold water, more as needed
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt

Method

1. First prepare the filling. Chop all the fried fruit into small pieces.
2. Place the nuts in a food processor and process
3. Mix all the filling ingredients together, taste and add more spices if you like or some chocolate chips. I chose to do half plain and half with chocolate. Set aside

Prepare the pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 180degrees. Lightly oil two 6 space muffin trays
2. Place the oats, salt, coconut and cinnamon in a food processor and combine until the mixture is finely ground and resembles flour.
3. Add the oil, maple and 3 tbsp water then process again. If it is easy to pinch the mixture together its ready, if it still crumbles, add another tbsp water and process again.
4. Press the mixture together to form a ball, divide into 12 equal pieces, with a bit left over for making stars for the tops, then press into each muffin tray. If the pastry is really hard to work with I found that heating it for a few seconds in the microwave made it more pliable. 
5. Simply roll out the reserved pastry on a flat surface and cut out star shapes for the top.

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To assemble
Place a heaped tbsp of filling into each case then top with a star. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Leave to cool in the muffin trays before carefully loosening each pie with a knife and sliding out on to a plate or into your mouth. Up to you. Heat them up in the oven again before serving if you like, for extra crunch. Dust with icing sugar for extra festive cheer.


  EXTRA TIPS

If the pastry is a bit too faffy you can easily use ready made shortcrust pastry.

Keep in a jar some of your extra filling  and try as a decadent festive porridge topping!