Speculaas pies with almond and cranberry filling
Recipe
Makes around 12 pies
Ingredients:
for the pastry:
400g plain flour
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
a pinch of salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teasoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
250g soft butter
250g muscovado sugar
around 4 tablespoons of buttermilk
for the almond filling:
250g blanched almonds
250g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 or more tablespoons of water
1 egg yolk
additionally:
150g cranberry jam
beaten egg to brush the tops
almonds ( I sprayed mine with edible food spray)
mini tart pans, greased with butter
Instructions:
to make the pastry:
- in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices
- rub in the butter to the dry ingredients until it almost dissapears
- add the buttermilk, knead, and shape the dough into a ball
- wra in clingfilm or aluminium foil and chill for at least one hour
to make the almond paste:
you can prepare the paste for up to 1 week in advance for the best results
- put the sugar and ground almonds into a food processor and grind to a powder consistency
- add the lemon zest and water pulse the food processor for a few seconds
- store in the fridge until using
- just before using it as a filling, add the egg yolk to the paste
to make the pies:
- roll out the pastry to around 3mm or more thickness and cut out circles big enough to cover the base of the tart tin
- spoon the almond paste on the bottom
- top with cranberry jam
- the amound of the almond paste and cranberry jam will depend on how deep your tins are
- cut out slightly smaller circles and press on top of the pies
- brush with beaten egg and decorate with almonds
- bake in 170 C (340 F) for around 20 minutes
Enjoy!
I modified a recipe from the lovely blog www.weekendbakery.com :)
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