Spice things up with these special frangipane flavoursome mince pies!

Ingredients

For the pastry:
100g (4oz) butter
225g (8oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk, plus beaten egg to glaze

For the frangipane:
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
100g (4oz) ground almonds
1 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp almond extract, or to taste

For the filling and topping:
400g (14oz) jar mincemeat
25g (1oz) flaked almonds
Apricot jam, to glaze
A little lemon juice
Icing sugar, to dust

Method

To make the pastry, place the butter, flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and blend for 20 seconds. Add the egg yolk and blend again until the pastry comes together. Try not to over-handle or the pastry will be tough. Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour.

To make the frangipane, put the butter and sugar into the unwashed processor and blend until soft and creamy. Scrape down the sides, add the eggs and continue to process. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage! Add the ground almonds, flour and almond extract and mix briefly.

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gas Mark 6. Roll the pastry out thinly onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into 18 x 6.5cm circles. Use this to line the tins. Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat into each tartlet and top with the frangipane mixture. There is no need to spread the mixture flat as it will level out in the oven (but don’t overfill the tins).

Sprinkle a few flaked almonds on top of each one. Bake for 15-17 minutes, watching carefully. Remove from the tins and allow to cool a little on a wire rack.

Dilute the apricot jam with a little lemon juice or water and bring to the boil. Brush each warm tartlet with a bit of glaze. Just like traditional mince pies, these are best served warm with a light dusting of icing sugar.

Add a splash of cream or custard to really make the most of these festive treats.