Gluten-Free Frangipane Mince Pies

5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Frangipane Mince Pies

These Gluten-Free Frangipane Mince Pies really level up your Christmas baking game. The butteriest flakiest gluten-free pastry (made without xanthan gum) is filled with your favourite mincemeat and topped with a luxurious almond cream which bakes up into a fluffy almond blanket. Finally sprinkled with golden flaked almonds.

Prep Time1

Cook Time25

Resting Time1

Total Time2 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: mince pies

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Pastry

120 g sweet rice flour
110 g sorghum flour
60 g tapioca flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
200 g unsalted butter cold from the fridge
1 egg + 1 egg white medium sized, lightly whisked together

Gluten-Free Frangipane

75 g unsalted butter
75 g caster sugar
75 g ground almonds
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
1 egg medium, lightly whisked
2 teaspoons brandy

Other ingredients

300 g mincemeat homemade or shop-bought
3 tablespoons flaked almonds

Instructions

Making the Pastry

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sweet rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and salt.
Slice the butter very thinly directly from the fridge and add to the flour.
Rub the mixture between fingertips until roughly shorn. The mixture does not need to resemble breadcrumbs. It’s okay that the butter is still in largish pieces. It should look quite shaggy in the flour.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the eggs.
Bring the dough together using your hands.
Turn the pastry out on to a floured work surface and knead for about two minutes until the dough comes together into a smooth ball which is no longer sticky.
Flatten the ball slightly to make a thick round disc and wrap in baking parchment.
Place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill before rolling out.

Making the Frangipane

Beat the butter until soft in a medium sized mixing bowl or stand mixer.
Add the sugar and ground almonds and beat again until mixed in.
Add the egg in a gentle stream, mixing all the while. Scrape down the sides and mix in well.
Add in the sweet rice flour and continue mixing until evenly combined.
Finally mix in the brandy.
Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest before using.

Assembling the Mince Pies

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / gas mark 5.
Remove the pastry disc from the fridge.
Cut two large pieces of baking parchment and flour them on the inside with tapioca flour. Place your chilled pastry disc between the parchment. (you can cut your pastry in half and roll out in two halves if you don’t have a lot of space)
Using a long rolling pin roll out the pastry until it is about 5mm thick.
Use a 78mm cutter to cut out the pastry rounds and place each one in each hole of a mince pie tin.
Place 1 heaped teaspoon of mincemeat in the centre of each pastry case.
Take your frangipane from the fridge and drop 1 teaspoon of frangipane over the top of each mince pie. Sprinkle over a few flaked almonds over each mince pie and press them down gently so you flatten the frangipane slightly over the mincemeat.
Brush the edges of the pastry of each mince pie with the egg yolk leftover from making your pastry.
Bake the mince pies for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Rest for 5 minutes in the tin. Then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack or serve warm with thick whipped cream.

Notes

This recipe makes 24 mince pies so you will either need 2 x baking tins or bake your mince pies in 2 batches.
If you are baking your mince pies in batches then you may find it easier to just roll out half the amount of pastry at a time and roll out the second half whilst your first batch of mince pies is baking in the oven. Clean your mince pie tin well between each batch.
Don’t have a mince pie tin? A regular 12 hole muffin tin will suffice. The shape of the mince pie will just be a little different.
You can substitute the brandy in the frangipane recipe for rum, amaretto or swap in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract of ⅛ teaspoon almond extract if you would like it alcohol free.
By rolling out the pastry in between baking parchment it helps avoid cracking and breaking.
Try not to overfill your pastry cases with the mincemeat or the frangipane. You actually need less than you think you do. 1 teaspoon of each is enough.
When you add the frangipane on top of the mincemeat it will perch atop. Once you’ve added the flaked almonds you can use them to press the frangipane down slightly. It doesn’t need to completely cover the mincemeat – that will sort itself out in the oven.
For very detailed notes and tips and tricks on how to make the pastry >>> READ MORE >>> The Best All-Butter Gluten-Free Pastry.
For very detailed notes and tips and tricks on how to make the frangipane >>> READ MORE >>> Gluten-Free Frangipane Recipe.

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