One of my favourite festive treats is a frangipane mince pie – my mum makes them year after year. To me, they perfectly encapsulate the indulgence of Christmas. Buttery, nutty pastry, crammed with spiced fruit and brandy, best served warm from the AGA with a side of Cornish clotted cream. Here is our secret family recipe.
Ingredients
For the pastry
175g plain flour
75g butter in cubes
25g icing sugar
1 egg
For the frangipane
100g softened butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g ground almonds
1tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp almond extract
For the filling and topping
1 × 410g (14 oz) jar mincemeat
A few flaked almonds
Apricot jam to glaze
Lemon juice
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
To make the pastry, add the flour, butter and icing sugar into a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pour in a beaten egg and continue to pulse until the dough forms a ball. Knead it lightly, wrap and pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes if the pastry is not firm enough to roll out.
For the frangipane, add the butter and sugar into the processor and blend until soft and creamy. Scrape down the sides, add the eggs and continue blending. Then, add the ground almonds, flour and almond extract, and mix briefly.
Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut into roughly 6.5cm circles. Place into tartlet tins and spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat (spiked with brandy) onto each, topping with the frangipane mixture. Finish with a few flaked almonds on top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15–17 minutes.
Brush each warm tartlet with the apricot jam and lemon juice glaze. These are best served warm, with some Cornish clotted cream. Enjoy.
