The mince pies in this recipe have a frangipane topping. A delicious twist on a Christmas classic.
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Yields:
12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Cal/Serv:
343
Ingredients
200g
(7oz) plain flour, plus extra to dust
1Tbsp.
caster sugar
100g
(3 ½oz) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1
medium egg yolk
500g (1lb 2oz) mincemeat
For the frangipane topping
50
(2oz) unsalted butter
50
(2oz) caster sugar
1
medium egg, beaten
50
(2oz) ground almonds
25
(1oz) plain flour
few drops almond extract
25g
(1oz) flaked almonds
icing sugar, to dust
Directions
Step 1
To make pastry, put flour, sugar and chilled butter into a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (or rub butter into flour mixture with fingertips if you don’t have a food processor). Separately, stir together yolk and 1tbsp cold water. Add to flour mixture; pulse/stir until pastry just comes together. Tip on to a surface; knead briefly to make a smooth dough. Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 15min.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make frangipane topping. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg until smooth. Stir in ground almonds, flour and almond extract to make a soft mixture.
Step 3
Roll chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface until 3mm (⅛in) thick, then stamp out 12 rounds using a 10cm (4in) round cutter (re-rolling trimmings as necessary). Use rounds to line a 12-hole muffin tin; fill cases with mincemeat.
Step 4
Divide frangipane among mincemeat-filled cases; smooth down a little (mixture will look scant but spreads during baking). Sprinkle over flaked almonds. Chill for 10min. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5.
Step 5
Bake pies for 25-30min until risen and golden. Leave to cool in tin for 5min to set pastry; carefully transfer to wire rack to cool; dust with icing sugar. Serve just warm or at room temperature with cream or brandy butter.
To store: Cooled pies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Serve as they are (with a re-dusting of icing sugar) or warm through for 5min on a baking tray in oven preheated to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5.
To freeze: Pack cooled pies into an airtight container in layers, separated by baking parchment. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature to serve.
To store: Cooled pies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Serve as they are (with a re-dusting of icing sugar) or warm through for 5min on a baking tray in oven preheated to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5.
To freeze: Pack cooled pies into an airtight container in layers, separated by baking parchment. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature to serve.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
