Amaretto Frangipane Mince Pies
Amaretto frangipane mince pies are a real festive treat! Full of homemade mincemeat, boozy frangipane & crunchy almonds.
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If you like mince pies but fancy something a little different, this is the recipe for you! This batch of pies is made with almond pastry, brown butter mincemeat & almond frangipane. They’re sweet, nutty & there’s a good splash of Amaretto liqueur included for good measure…
What Are Frangipane Mince Pies?
Frangipane mince pies are the same as a classic mince pie but the pastry lid is replaced by frangipane (also known as almond cream). This gives the pies a light, sponge-like almond topping that works brilliantly with the sweet mincemeat & crisp pastry.
For this frangipane, we’re also adding a good splash of Amaretto liqueur for extra almond flavour!
Recipe Breakdown
Mincemeat
If you fancy making your own mincemeat, I’d recommend using my brown butter mincemeat recipe! If you go for a shop bought one, go for a high quality one for the best flavour. To make the pies vegetarian, make sure to use a mincemeat that contains vegetable suet.
For extra flavour, we’re adding some amaretto into the mincemeat as well as the frangipane!
Almond Pastry
For this batch of mince pies, we’re using an almond flavoured sweet pastry. This is made by hand & contains plain flour, icing sugar, ground almonds, a pinch of salt, egg yolks, almond extract & orange zest. This recipe makes enough pastry for 12 mince pies!
Amaretto Frangipane
Frangipane is light & has a soft, sponge-like texture. It’s made with butter, sugar, eggs, ground almonds, plain flour & almond extract. We’re also adding a spoonful of amaretto into ours for extra nuttiness!
Flaked Almonds
A sprinkling of flaked almonds on top of each mince pie adds extra flavour and crunch! If you’d prefer to leave them out, feel free. The mince pies will taste great either way…
Melted Butter
We’re brushing a muffin tray with melted butter before lining it with pastry. This makes the pastry crisper as it cooks & stops it from sticking.
How To Make Almond Pastry
- Step 1 – Mix dry ingredients & zest
First, sift flour, icing sugar & salt into a mixing bowl then add in orange zest. - Step 2 – Rub butter into flour
Next, add in chilled, diced butter then rub into the flour with your hands until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. There should still be some large pieces of butter visible though! - Step 3 – Add yolks & almond extract
Once the butter has been rubbed in, add egg yolks & almond extract then mix to form a rough dough. - Step 4 – Gently knead
Tip the dough out onto a clean worksurface then gently knead to bring the pastry together. - Step 5 – Chill in fridge
Press the pastry into a disc, wrap in clingfilm then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
How To Make Amaretto Frangipane
- Step 1 – Beat butter & sugar together
Using the paddle attachment, beat together softened butter & caster sugar in a stand mixer until light & fluffy. This will take 2-3 minutes on a medium speed. Make sure to regularly scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula! - Step 2 – Mix in egg & yolk
Next, whisk together 1 egg & 1 yolk then gradually beat into the butter with the mixer still running. Like you would when making a cake… - Step 3 – Add remaining ingredients
Finally, add in ground almonds, plain flour, almond extract & amaretto then mix until combined. The frangipane is now ready to use!
Making The Mince Pies
The full, printable recipe card for these mince pies is available at the bottom of this page!
Step 1 – Roll The Pastry Out
Take your pastry out of the fridge & let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, brush the holes of a 12 hole muffin tray with melted butter.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3 mm then cut out 12 circles using a 9½ cm cutter (knead together the pastry trimmings & re roll if necessary). Gently press the circles of pastry into the muffin tray, making sure that the pastry reaches the top of each hole.
Chill the tray of pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Mincemeat Filling
To make the filling, take 300g of mincemeat (this can be homemade or shop bought) & add in half a tablespoon of amaretto. Set this aside for now.
Step 3 – Assembly
To assemble the mince pies, take the pastry out of the fridge & spoon an even amount of the amaretto mincemeat into each pie. Next, spoon an even amount of the frangipane on top of the mincemeat (around half a tablespoon on each pie) then smooth over, using a small spoon or palette knife.
Sprinkle flaked almonds over each mince pie then they are ready to bake!
Step 4 – Baking
Bake the amaretto frangipane mince pies at 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f) for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp & the frangipane is a deep, golden brown. Once cooked, leave them to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes then transfer the pies to a wire rack, to cool completely.
Finish each pie with a dusting of icing sugar.
Mince Pie Tips & Tricks
- Chill the pastry for at least 2 hours before rolling out & for 30 minutes once assembled.
- When rolling the pastry out, lightly dust your work surface with flour to stop it from sticking. Don’t use too much though because it will dry the pastry out.
- Let the pastry warm up slightly at room temperature before rolling out. This makes the pastry easier to work with & will prevent it from cracking when you press it into the muffin tray.
- If you’re not using homemade mincemeat, go for a good quality shop bought one. Your mince pies will thank you for it!
Cooking Mince Pies In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas.
To cook the amaretto frangipane mince pies in an Aga, cook for 25-30 minutes in the baking oven on the second from bottom set of runners. If it looks like the frangipane or almonds are browning too quickly, move the tray down a set of runners.
Equipment Used
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More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Classic Mince Pies
- Brown Butter Mincemeat
- Lemon & Almond Battenberg
- Nutty Brown Butter Flapjack
- Black Sesame Cheesecake Cookies
- Lemon Fondant Fancies
- Miso Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Traditional Eccles Cakes
If you have enjoyed this Amaretto frangipane mince pie recipe, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating!
Amaretto Frangipane Mince Pies
Equipment
- 12 Hole Muffin Tray
- Stand Mixer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- Palette Knife
- 9½ cm Circular Pastry Cutter
- Piping Bag
Ingredients
Almond Pastry
- 220 g Plain Flour
- 30 g Ground Almonds
- 50 g Icing Sugar
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 1 Orange, Zested
- 140 g Unsalted Butter Chilled
- 30 g Egg Yolks
- ½ tsp Almond Extract
Greasing The Tray
- 20 g Unsalted Butter Melted
Filling
- 300 g Mincemeat See Notes
- ½ tbsp Amaretto
Amaretto Frangipane
- 110 g Unsalted Butter Softened
- 110 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 110 g Ground Almonds
- 40 g Plain Flour
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
- ½ tsp Almond Extract
- ½ tbsp Amaretto
Assembly
- 20 g Flaked Almonds
- 1 tsp Icing Sugar To Dust
Instructions
Almond Pastry
- Sift the flour, icing sugar & salt into a large mixing bowl then add in the ground almonds & orange zest.
- Cut the butter into small pieces, add into the flour, then rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs with some large pieces of butter still visible.
- Add the egg yolks & ground almonds into the flour then mix with your hands until the pastry starts to come together. Tip out onto a clean worksurface & gently knead until you have a smooth dough (be careful not to overwork).
- Flatten the pastry into a disc, wrap in clingfilm & refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Rolling Out The Pastry
- Take the pastry out of the fridge & leave to warm up slightly at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Brush a 12 hole muffin tray with melted butter then set aside.
- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3 mm then cut out 12 circles using a 9½ cm cutter. Knead together the pastry trimmings & re roll if necessary.
- Gently press the circles of pastry into the muffin tray, making sure that the pastry reaches the top of each hole then place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Filling
- Place the mincemeat into a mixing bowl, add the amaretto then stir to combine. Set aside.
Amaretto Frangipane
- Place the softened butter & caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer & mix with the paddle attachment until light & pale. This will take 2-3 minutes on a medium speed.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg & yolk then gradually beat into the butter with the mixer still running.
- Next, sift the flour & salt into the mixing bowl then add in the ground almonds, almond extract & amaretto. Mix on a low speed until combined.
Assembly
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Take the pastry out of the fridge then spoon an equal amount of filling into each pie.
- Next, spoon an even amount (½ tbsp) of frangipane onto each of the mince pies, smooth the top over with a small spoon or palette knife then sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp & the frangipane is golden brown.
- Let the mince pies cool in the tin for a couple of minutes then use a small palette knife to transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
- Leave to cool completely then dust with icing sugar & serve.
