Hazelnut Frangipane Mince Pies

Ever since I made a batch of Beth O-Brien’s mincemeat, I had been itching to put together a batch of mince pies. It smelt so delicious but I knew it would be better to let it sit for a week or two. I had a stray bag of hazelnuts looking lonely in my kitchen cupboard and thought a hazelnut frangipane would be such a treat to pop in alongside that aromatic mincemeat.

I had seen this beautiful crimped design on Beth’s Instagram and thought they looked like little flowers. So pretty!

I think a shortcrust pastry is best for a mince pie. They really don’t need extra sweetness as the mincemeat is already so sweet. The hazelnut frangipane adds a delicate nutty note and stays lovely and moist.

I think these may become a yearly bake for me. Golden, crisp, flaky pastry with nutty hazelnuts and a punchy, perfectly spiced mince meat. Let’s not forget the obligatory sprinkling of little crunchy demerara sugar too.

Ingredients - makes 12
Pastry:
350g - plain flour
175g - unsalted butter, cold - cubed
a pinch of salt
cold water

Hazelnut Frangipane:
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
100g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
dash of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
100g ground hazelnuts
15g plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Extras:
1 jar of mincemeat (I made my own using Beth O’Brien’s recipe)
1 egg, for egg wash
demerara sugar, to finish

Method
The day before:
For the pastry, place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix. Add in the cubed butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add in cold water, a little at a time, until it forms a ball. Toss the flour to begin with before lightly kneading it until it forms a ball. Split the pastry in two, pat into discs and clingfilm. Refrigerate overnight.

The day of baking:
Grease a muffin tin with butter and place a small square piece of baking paper into the bottom of each hole to ensure the mince pies don’t stick.

To make the hazelnut frangipane; cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together. Add in the eggs and mix to combine before stirring in the ground hazelnuts, salt, cinnamon and flour. Cover and set aside until needed.

Take one of the pastry discs out of the fridge and roll to 3mm on a lightly floured surface. Cut 12 x 10cm discs and place into the fridge while you roll the rest of the pastry. Roll the second disc of pastry and cut out 12 x 7cm discs. Place these in the fridge.

Line each muffin hole with a 10cm pastry disc by placing it on top and lightly pushing it into the base. Spoon or pipe a layer of the frangipane into the bottom before placing a spoonful of mincemeat on top. Brush the top edge of each of the mince pies with beaten egg. Place a 7cm pastry disc on top of the filled pies and press down lightly. Using your fingers and the handle of a small spoon, crimp the edges of the pies. I like to flour my spoon handle from time to time to stop it from sticking. Pop the mince pies into the fridge for 20 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 190°C.

Once the oven is pre-heated, egg wash the top of the mince pies and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Using a sharp knife, poke a little hole in the middle of each one. Bake the pies for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Once they are cool enough to touch, remove the pies from the tray and leave to cool on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container. These freeze really well, so they make the perfect make ahead Christmas treat.