Frangipane Mince Pies

5 from 64 votes

If you're in search of a delightful departure from the usual mince pies, then we wholeheartedly encourage you to give this frangipane mince pies recipe a try this festive season. They feature a wonderfully light and flaky crust, a fruit filling with a hint of boozy sophistication and the true star of the show, the frangipane topping, also known as Italian almond cream.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:35

Cook Time:15

Total Time:50

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: frangipane mince pies, mince pies, christmas mince pies, christmas dessert, minced meat

Servings: mince pies

Calories: 252kcal

Equipment

fairy cake pans enough to make 20 mince pies. See blog post for a description of what a fairy cake pan is.
food processor
electric hand whisk
pastry cutter with a diameter between 7.5–8cm (3–3¼ inches)

Ingredients

For the pastry

250 grams all purpose flour
50 grams icing sugar
125 grams butter salted or unsalted, fridge-cold, cubed
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons cold water

For the frangipane

100 grams butter salted or unsalted, softened at room temperature
100 grams golden caster sugar or white caster sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
100 grams ground almonds
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of salt optional - omit if using salted butter
few drops almond extract - optional

Filling and Topping

411 grams minced meat one standard British jar found in most supermarkets - 411g
2 tablespoons brandy or whisky, sherry
flaked almonds for decoration
apricot jam for the glaze about 1-2 tablespoons

Instructions

Prepping

Begin by adding the brandy or your preferred alcohol to the mincemeat, and give it a good stir to mix it in thoroughly. Set aside.
If you are not adding alcohol you can skip this step.
411 grams minced meat, 2 tablespoons brandy

Make the pastry

In a food processor, combine the plain flour, icing sugar and cold, cubed butter. Process until the mixture resembles a slightly sandy texture with the butter well incorporated into the flour.
250 grams all purpose flour, 50 grams icing sugar, 125 grams butter
Add the egg yolk and process again.
1 egg yolk
Add one tablespoon of cold water and process. If necessary, add the second tablespoon of cold water and continue processing until the pastry dough comes together into a ball inside the food processor bowl.
You may not need both tablespoons of water, so stop as soon as the ball forms.
1-2 tablespoons cold water
Place the pastry dough on a piece of cling film and flatten it into a disk. Wrap it securely and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

Make the frangipane topping

In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and golden caster sugar. Beat until the mixture becomes light and creamy. It may take up to 5 minutes of beating to get the optimum light and airy consistency.
100 grams butter, 100 grams golden caster sugar
Add the two room-temperature eggs.
2 eggs
Beat until the eggs are fully broken up.
If the mixture appears curdled at this stage, don't worry, this is normal and will be corrected once we add the flour.
Add the ground almonds, flour, pinch of salt and the almond extract.
100 grams ground almonds, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, few drops almond extract - optional
Mix just until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The goal here is to retain the air in the mixture, so avoid overmixing.

Assembling the mince pies

Preheat the oven to 200C/392F/gas mark 6.
Lightly grease each cup of the fairy tin.
On a surface lightly dusted with flour or between two sheets of baking paper, roll out the pastry dough until it reaches a thickness of 3mm.
Using the round cutter, cut out circles from the pastry. Re-roll the scraps when needed.
Line each cup of the fairy tin with a pastry circle.
The most effective method is to gently position the centre of the pastry circle onto the middle of the cup, and then softly press on the edges to mould it into the cup shape.
Fill each cup with a teaspoon of mincemeat.
Remember to give the mincemeat a quick stir beforehand, just in case the alcohol has separated from the mincemeat.
Spoon a generous teaspoonful of the frangipane topping onto each pie. Using the back of a teaspoon, gently spread it to the edges, sealing in the mincemeat.
Sprinkle the tops with almond flakes.
flaked almonds for decoration
Bake the mince pies in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, or until the tops turn a light golden brown and the frangipane is a little puffed up.

Glazing

Briefly warm 1-2 tablespoons of apricot jam in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.
apricot jam for the glaze
Lightly brush the top of each warm frangipane mince pie with the glaze.
Let the pies cool in the tin for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Notes

Use cold butter

For the pastry, use cold butter straight from the fridge. It gives the pies that lovely flakiness.

Add the water gradually

Don't add all the water into the pastry mix at once. Different flours react differently and you may not need both tablespoons. Just add enough until the dough forms a ball. Easy does it!

Chill the dough

Chill the pastry dough in the fridge before you roll it. It makes shaping the pies a breeze. Roll it out quite thinly to about 3 mm thick.

If you've got a rolling pin with thickness guides, it's a real helper for getting the right thickness. Consider adding one to your Christmas wish list!

Tidy rolling

If you want less mess, try rolling the dough between two sheets of baking paper instead of on a floured surface. Neat and easy!

Whip the butter and sugar thoroughly

For the frangipane topping, beat the butter and sugar until they're very light and creamy. This takes about 5 minutes, so be patient, it's worth it. Don't forget to scrape the bowl during the process.

As a handy extra tip, since we're not dealing with a huge amount of butter and sugar, using a smaller bowl can make it easier for the beaters to thoroughly mix everything. It's a small adjustment that can save you some hassle.

Even topping

Before spreading it out, share the frangipane topping equally among each pie. That way, they all get their fair share of deliciousness.

Perfect presentation

If looks matter to you, opt for whole almond flakes on top. They'll give your pies a polished, uniform appearance.

Nutrition