Description

These Festive Frangipane Mince Pies combine a buttery all-purpose pastry with a rich mincemeat fruit filling and a creamy almond frangipane topping, perfect for holiday celebrations. The pies are baked to golden perfection, sprinkled with flaked almonds, and dusted with powdered icing sugar, offering a delightful balance of textures and flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

All Butter Pastry

220 g plain flour (all-purpose)
¼ teaspoon fine salt
115 g unsalted butter
60 ml ice cold water

Fruit Filling

350 g mincemeat (fruit filling)

Almond Cream (Frangipane) Topping

1 zest of orange
100 g granulated sugar
115 g unsalted butter
2 large eggs
100 g ground almonds (almond meal)
20 g plain flour (all-purpose)
½ teaspoon fine salt
30 g flaked almonds
1 tablespoon powdered icing sugar

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Instructions

Make the Pastry: Rub the butter into the flour and salt mixture in a large mixing bowl until the butter pieces are the size of large peas. Add ice cold water a little at a time and gently mix until the dough holds when pressed.
Chill the Dough: Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
Prepare for Baking: Remove dough from fridge and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to prevent cracking. Roll out on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Use a 9 cm (3.5 inch) cookie cutter to cut rounds.
Fill the Cupcake Tray: Lightly flour a cupcake tray and press dough rounds into each hole, ensuring the dough reaches the base and sides but not the top. Spoon 2 tablespoons of mincemeat fruit filling into each pastry case.
Make the Frangipane: Rub the orange zest into the granulated sugar to release oils. Cream the butter with the orange sugar using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Lightly whisk eggs and gradually add to the butter mixture, beating for a minute even if it looks curdled. Add ground almonds, flour, and salt, then beat until the mixture is thick and creamy.
Top and Decorate: Pipe or spoon the frangipane mixture over the fruit filling evenly. Sprinkle flaked almonds over the top of each pie.
Bake the Pies: Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the pastry and topping are golden and cooked through.
Cool and Serve: Cool pies in the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered icing sugar and serve warm or cold, plain or with custard, cream, or ice cream.

Notes

Use cold butter for the pastry dough to achieve a flaky texture.
Avoid overworking the dough to prevent tough pastry.
Feel free to customize the mincemeat fruit filling with your favorite spices or additional flavors.
If the frangipane mixture looks curdled after adding eggs, continue beating; it will come together once ground almonds and flour are incorporated.
Tent the baking tray with foil during the first part of baking to prevent over-browning.
Store the pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
The baked pies freeze well; freeze cooled pies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and re-crisp in a 180C oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Rolling out dough that’s too cold can cause cracking, so let it rest briefly before rolling.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 pie
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 20 g
Sodium: 150 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 35 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 75 mg