Frangipane mince pies

1. 1

   First make the pastry. Put the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and butter in a food processor (or a freestanding mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and starts to clump together a little. Add the egg yolk and pulse again, then gradually add 1-2 tablespoons of very cold water, until the mixture comes together into a slightly tacky dough. Wrap in cling film and chill.

2. 2

   To make the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar together until very soft and aerated, then add the remaining ingredients with a pinch of salt. Mix to combine.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

4. 4

   To assemble, roll out the pastry to around 3mm thick on a lightly floured work surface. Using a 7.5-8cm/3-3¼in round cutter, cut out 24 rounds and use to line 2 x 12-hole fairy cake tins. If you only have one tin, do the rolling and baking in batches.

5. 5

   Add a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat to each round of pastry, followed by a generously heaped teaspoon of the frangipane. Use a knife or spatula to spread the frangipane evenly over the mincemeat, adding a little more if necessary to seal round the edges, making sure the mincemeat is completely covered. Sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the frangipane is lightly browned and slightly domed.

6. 6

   If making the rum butter, cream everything together until light and fluffy.

7. 7

   Leave the mince pies to cool in the tins. Serve with a dollop of rum butter.

1 serving ≈ 56 g

Nutrition values are estimates. - means data is unavailable.