Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Jacqueline Bellefontaine ·

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These Almond and Mincemeat Bars consist of two layers of delicious crumbly biscuit sandwiched together with sweet mincemeat and topped with crunchy flaked almonds.

Last weeks Sunken Pear and Chocolate Cake won me the accolade of Star Baker on both the GBBO Bloggers Challenge and GBBOTwitterBakeAlong, but I'm not going to win any prizes this week though. That's not to say that this weeks bake is not a good one. These Almond and Mincemeat Bars are not too sweet and seriously moorish, but I may have cheated a little for my GBBOBakeOff inspired bake this week. Contestants on the show were asked to create 24 sandwich biscuits. That is 48 identical biscuits sandwiched together with a filling. Well I was seriously strapped for time this week and sandwich biscuits do take a while to make, so true to the blogs name I thought, how can I make this recipe easy?

The answer is have two larger layers of biscuit sandwiched together and cut into individual biscuits. Technically its still a sandwich biscuit and although there are only 16 I could have made 24 but I wanted a good sized biscuit. And so you have it. This is my interpretation of the task made easy - Almond and Mincemeat Bars.

Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (4)

Almond and Mincemeat Bars

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Two layers of crumbly almond biscuits sandwiched with a sweet mincemeat filling. Easy to make biscuits that are perfect with a cuppa.

Course Baking, biscuits and cookies

Cuisine English

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 125 g butter softened
  • 125 g golden caster sugar
  • 1 egg seperated
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 125 g ground almonds
  • 300 g sweet mincemeat
  • 50 g flaked almonds

metric - US cups

Instructions

  • Preheat theoven to 180℃ (170℃ fan)/350°F/gas mark 4.

  • Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until soft and well combined. Add the egg yolk and almond extract and most of the egg white. Beat to combine.

  • Add the flour and ground almonds and mix to form a smooth dough.

  • Divide into two pieces and roll out one half to fit a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12in) cake tin.

  • Spread the mincemeat over the pastry. Then roll out the remaining pastry and lightly press on top.

  • Brush the top of the pastry with a little egg white, then sprinkle the almonds on top.

  • Mark into 16 bars. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuit bar | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment or Mention @recipecrumbs or tag #RecipesMadeEasy

Step by Step Almond and Mincemeat Bars

Hints, Tips and Variations

  • If you do not have the correct size tin, roll out the pastry to the same size and place in a baking sheet. Cover with mincemeat but do not spread right to the very edge of the dough. Cover with remaining dough and chill for at least 30 minutes before marking into bars and baking.
  • You may find it easier to roll the pastry between two sheets of cling film or baking parchment.
  • I used my homemade mincemeat which is less sweet than shop bought mincemeat. If you do not have any consider adding some lemon juice or chopped apple to make the shop bought mince meat less sweet tasting.
  • You can vary the filling. Raspberry jam or lemon curd would be delicious.

More Biscuits Made Easy

[easy-image-collage id=7077]

More Biscuit and Cookie recipes made easy

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  • Gingerbread House - A Tale of two houses
  • Friends in the Kitchen – Eva's Macarons
  • Christmas Gingerbread Biscuits

About Jacqueline Bellefontaine

Jacqueline is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and has been a cookery writer and food stylist for over 25 years. She has written over 15 cookery books, in addition to writing for several major magazines. She likes to champion good basic home cooking and as the daughter of a master baker, she is passionate about home baking.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Have you made this recipe? I would love to hear from you. Did you enjoy it, did you change anything? Leave a comment and rate the recipe. Comments may be held for moderation before publishing.

  1. Helen

    Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (17)
    these look great, and a fab idea to make biscuits in a shorter space of time - they look like a cross between an almond slice & a garibaldi!

    Reply

    • Jacqueline Bellefontaine

      Iam all for making life easier and saving time so long as the flavour is still there. They reminded me a bit of garibaldi biscuits to but the biscuit is much softer and crumbly.

      Reply

  2. Anne

    Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (18)
    mmm I'm definitely pinning these. I normally only have mincemeat at Christmas time but I do love it, i guess buying some a little earlier to make these biscuits would be a good idea, I love the sound of mincemeat and almonds, yummy!
    #GBBOBloggers2017

    Reply

    • Jacqueline Bellefontaine

      I think mincemeat is great all year round but of course Christmas would not be Christmas with ouy it. Why not make your own mincemeat it s less sweet and much nicer and I have a recipe on the bog 🙂

      Reply

  3. jenny paulin

    Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (19)
    these would be perfect for Christmas (LOL now you will need to forgive me too) and I have also pinned this to my Christmas food board! I have some mincemeat in my cupboard, so these could well be made at some point! I am still thinking about adapting your pear cake from last week into an apple one!
    Anyway, these look delicious and I would be happy to have one or two, and they will be fab for a festive coffee morning too! x]
    thank you for linking to #GBBOBloggers2017 x

    Reply

    • Jacqueline Bellefontaine

      You're not the first person to mention the C word and yes they would be great for Christmas too. Thanks for pinning.

      Reply

  4. Angela / Only Crumbs Remain

    What a great idea Jacqui! I know just what you mean about how long sandwich cookies/biscuits take to make, although the bake of our cookies was only 10 minutes, I had to batch bake them which ended up taking quite some time all told! These lookabsolutely glorious and a lovely flavour combo, they'd be perfect for the run up to Christmas too 🙂 (Heck I can't quite believe i mentioned Christmas - though can you believe I saw a foodie mag today dedicated to Christmas!!)
    Angela x

    Reply

    • Jacqueline Bellefontaine

      Hi Angela I will forgive you the C word as these would indeed make a lovely alternative to mince pies. And yes I can believe there is a magazine out already although Im still refusing to think about it even for the blog..

      Reply

  5. Rebecca Beesley

    almonds and mincemeat - yum - two of my fave flavours! #gbbobloggers2017

    Reply

    • Jacqueline Bellefontaine

      It certainly is a nice flavour combo.

      Reply

Almond and Mincemeat Bars by Recipes Made Easy (2024)

FAQs

Can I use almond flour instead of almond meal? ›

Almond meal and almond flour both make exciting additions to lots of baked treats and tasty meals. You can use them interchangeably. But almond meal tends to be better in heartier dishes, since it's slightly bitter and has a coarse consistency. Almond flour is sweeter and has a lighter, fluffier texture.

Can I replace flour with ground almonds? ›

You may also need to adapt your methodology, as techniques designed to encourage gluten formation are not necessary when baking with ground almonds. Flour: replace 1 cup of flour with 1 1/4 scant cups of ground almonds / replace 100g of flour with 90g of ground almonds.

What is a substitute for ground nuts in baking? ›

Possible alternatives for replacing smaller amounts of ground almonds in a recipe include breadcrumbs, ground rice, semolina and polenta but the results will vary according to the individual recipe, so each recipe will need to be tried and tested. Uncooked semolina has a similar texture to ground almonds.

Can you turn almond meal into almond flour? ›

Almond meal is ground-up almonds with their shells on, while some almond flour recipes call for blended blanched almonds (which are just almonds with their shells removed). However, the distinction is small since the meal and flour are practically interchangeable aside from the texture and color.

Is it better to bake with almond flour or almond meal? ›

You can use almond meal and almond flour interchangeably in most recipes. Still, almond meal is typically preferred as a bread crumb substitute or coating element, while almond flour is preferred for baking.

Is almond flour good for diabetics? ›

Almond flour is a low glycemic index food. Compared to wheat flour, almond flour has fewer sugars and carbohydrates. Switching to almond flour can help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels more effectively. Almond flour contains a lot of prebiotic dietary fiber.

How much almond flour equals 1 cup all-purpose flour? ›

Can you Substitute Almond Flour for Regular Flour? Almond flour can be substituted for regular flour at a 1:1 ratio. It is important to note that almond flour may require more egg to bind the flour. Check out our almond flour recipe book here for more information on a specific recipe!

Why not use almond flour? ›

Almond Flour Is High In Oxalates

The problem with a high intake of oxalate-rich food is that it might contribute to calcium oxalate crystal formation, which, is a major component to some kinds of kidney stone. Also, it's been implicated in gout, and also has been associated with microcrystalline-associated arthritis.

Is it better to bake with ground almonds or almond flour? ›

As mentioned above, almond flour is made from blanched, peeled almonds that have had their skins removed. It's fairly fine in texture and light in colour, lacking the darker specks from the skins. Ground almonds, on the other hand, are the same thing as almond meal – they're just ground, skin-on, unpeeled almonds.

What is a good substitute for ground almonds in a cake? ›

Possible alternatives for replacing smaller amounts of ground almonds in a recipe, include breadcrumbs, ground rice, semolina and polenta but the results will vary according to the individual recipe, so each recipe will need to be tried and tested.

What can replace two eggs in baking? ›

You can whisk 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of water and 2 teaspoons of baking powder together to replace each egg in baked goods like cookies, brownies or quick breads. This substitution won't impact a recipes' flavor profile the way egg substitutions like mashed banana or flaxseed might.

Which nut is best for baking? ›

Walnuts have a mild, buttery flavor that makes them perfect for baking into cookies and cakes.

Why can't you use baking powder with almond flour? ›

Since baking powder contains baking soda, baking powder cannot be used in almond flour baking. Instead, eggs (or applesauce or bananas) can be used as the leavening agent to help baked goods rise and achieve a light and fluffy texture.

Is it cheaper to buy or make almond flour? ›

Not only is it simple to make, but homemade almond flour tastes fresher and is usually more cost-effective than storebought.

What happens if I use regular flour for almond flour? ›

Almond flour can carry more moisture than traditional flour, therefore, you may need to add more of it to a recipe to prevent watery batter or dough. The extra moisture helps prevent baked goods from drying out quickly.

What is the ratio of almond meal to almond flour? ›

If the recipe is already written for almond flour, you can substitute almond meal 1:1. That means that the two are interchangable.

How do I substitute almond flour for all purpose? ›

You can try a 1:1 substitution, but almond flour is coarser than all purpose flour. You might replace 1/4 of it with a softer, finer product like corn starch, potato starch, or tapioca starch. Almond flour also works best in baked goods with a high egg white content, because the egg white is a binding agent.

Does almond flour taste like almonds? ›

Since the nuts are blanched before they're ground, the flour doesn't have a very strong, distinctive almond flavor, but it's not completely lacking in it, either. The best way to describe it may be to say that it adds a gentle, slightly nutty aroma to what you're making.

Can I use almond flour instead of almond meal for macarons? ›

Almond meal is made from raw unpeeled almonds. It is usually more coarse in texture and has a darker color than almond flour because of the almond skin. It is usually used for baking bread or not as "cakey" texture baked goods. For macaron making, almond flour should be used because we want to create a finer texture.

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