Mince Pie Crumble Bars (gluten-free)

Mince Pie Crumble Bars showing soft filling and crisp crumble topping.

4.50 from 2 votes

Mince Pie Crumble Bars (gluten-free)

The secret behind the gorgeous texture of these Christmas Mince Pie Crumble Bars is the mincemeat cheesecake filling which bakes and melts into the buttery oaty shortbread crumble. The texture is crisp and oaty on top and bottom with a soft rich middle which is full of festive flavour. Made with a homemade gluten-free flour blend.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: bars

Calories: 348kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

280 g cream cheese
260 g suet-free mincemeat
2 eggs medium
220 g homemade gluten-free flour – FTL bend
160 g gluten-free oats
185 g soft light brown sugar sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
240 g unsalted butter room temperature

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted / gas mark 4 / 350°F and line and grease a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin with the baking parchment going up the sides of the tin.
In a medium sized bowl whisk the cream cheese, mincemeat and eggs together until well combined then set aside.
Place the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine. Then add the butter and rub together with your fingertips until the butter is evenly combined and the dough is forming rough clumps.
Tip half the dough into the cake tin and press in tightly.
Spoon the mincemeat cheesecake evenly over the dough base, not quite touching the edges of the tin. Then scatter over the rest of the dough so that it covers the whole of the cheesecake mixture and press it down lightly, particularly at the edges of the tin where you need the most stability.
Place in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes*.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing carefully from the tin. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Notes

The wetter your mincemeat the longer the oat bars will take to cook. It’s ready when the dough is turning golden brown and without looking wet.
The trickiest part is removing the crumble bars from the tin, as they're soft and fragile when fresh from the oven but firm up as they cool. A tin with a removable base and a cake lifter makes it easier to transfer them to a wire rack. Without a cake lifter, leave the bars in the tin for about an hour to cool and firm up—they'll still taste great.
Eggs. The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g each with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.
Gluten-Free Flour – FTL Blend. This recipe has been tested with my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend. No xanthan gum is needed for this recipe as the flours are perfectly balance in the mix to provide a stable and well textured bake. I don’t recommend substituting with another all-purpose blend.
Suet-free mincemeat. You can use store bought but I love to use my Homemade Fresh Cranberry Mincemeat.
Make ahead: These bars keep well for up to 3 days.
Storage: Store in an airtight tin in a cool, dark place, or in the fridge for up to 5 days (bring to room temperature before serving).
Freezing: Freeze pre-sliced bars for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic, then foil, and store in a freezer bag. Label with the date and thaw overnight at room temperature before serving.

Ingredient measurements

Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.

US customary measurements

These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 crumble bar.

Nutrition