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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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categories:

baking essentials

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