Baking / gluten-free / vegetarian

Frangipane mince pies

Posted on by 10 Comments

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Ever wondered what would happen if a mince pie and a bakewell tart had a love child? Wonder no longer, my little elves. THIS is what happens.

Crisp, buttery pastry? Tick.

Fruity, boozy mincemeat? Tick.

Soft, nutty frangipane? Tick.

Familiar enough to comfort but with a bit of a twist to add interest – this is mince pie perfection. I took these to my work Christmas drinks last year and they disappeared in a flash (no, I didn’t eat ALL of them…).

Hope you’re enjoying some festive baking too! I’m feeling pretty smug as I finished my Christmas shopping today hehe *cracks immensly irritating smug smile* x

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Frangipane mince pies

Makes 12

Ingredients:

For the pastry and filling:

– 180g shortcrust pastry (see my recipe for regular here and gluten-free here)
– 200g mincemeat* (good quality shop-bought or see my recipe here)
– zest 1 unwaxed orange
– icing sugar, to decorateFor the frangipane:

– 75g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
– 75g caster sugar
– 1 large egg (free range please), beaten
– 2 tablespoons amaretto
– 60g ground almonds
– 1 tablespoon plain flour**
– 1/4 teaspoon baking powder***If you’re making GF mince pies or you’re a veggie, be sure to check the mincemeat for animal suet or wheat-derived products.
**Use gluten-free versions if making GF mince pies!

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Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a 12-hole muffin tin.

Prepare your mincemeat (if making your own), stir the orange zest into it, and set aside. Prepare your pastry.

Roll out the pastry to just a few millimetres thick. Tip: The best way to stop the pastry sticking to your work surface and rolling pin is to roll it out on a sheet of baking paper (if you’re not feeling that snazzy, just dust your work surface with flour as usual). Using an 8cm cutter, cut out circles of pastry and press gently into your tin.

To make the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar together (I use my food mixer with the beater attachment but you could use a wooden spoon). Gradually beat in the eggs and amaretto (scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure nothing escapes) until everything is incorporated. Fold in the almonds, flour and baking powder until the mixture is smooth.

Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat on top of each pastry circle and level gently. Spoon a teaspoon of frangipane atop the mincemeat and level again.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and the frangipane is set. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack.

Dust with icing sugar!

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Source: Recipe and photos by pip & little blue.

10 thoughts on “Frangipane mince pies”

      • They stand out of all Christmas bakes I saw lately. Magnificent, joy to look at and I am a big fan of both Bakewell tarts and frangipane, though I make my frangipane either with fruit puree or cottage cheese instead of traditional butter.

      • I used apple and plum puree, with plum being my favourite. It is lighter in texture and has more intense taste. I like to bake triple plum frangipane tart. I bake it now with buckwheat shortcrust ( my latest discovery, beats all other gluten free shortcrust dough), with thick plum puree in the middle and plum frangipane on top. I insert plum wedges into frangipane as well. This tart has an intense vibrant taste. I simply took the idea from orange and almond cake. If cooked orange puree can be used as a structural material for the cake, why not other fruit puree, high in pectin. Sweet peach puree allows to make completely sweeteners free cakes. I even make it as a grain and starch free version. Fruit puree, even just quite runny apple sauce make wonders for gluten and grain free cake textures.

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