Cranberry Almond Frangipane Tartlets
Cranberry Almond Frangipane Tartlets are tiny, fancy-looking mini pies that taste like a nutty almond cookie met tart cranberries. You start with little store bought tart shells (or make simple ones), fill them with a smooth almond cream called frangipane, then drop fresh cranberries on top. When they bake, the cranberries sink a little and burst into jammy red pools inside the golden, buttery almond filling. They’re not super sweet – the almonds and cranberries keep everything balanced and mild tasting. They look like little red jewels on a Christmas dessert tray but are not that hard to make.
Cranberry Almond Frangipane Tartlets
8-Ingredients
🍚 Ingredients
- •
12 mini tart shells (store-bought shortcrust or phyllo works great)
- •
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- •
½ cup granulated sugar
- •
1 large egg
- •
1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
- •
1 cup almond flour (or finely ground almonds)
- •
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- •
¼ tsp salt
- •
1 cup fresh cranberries (halved if large)
- •
Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
📋 Directions
- 1.Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place tart shells on a baking sheet.
- 2.In a bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
- 3.Add egg and vanilla/almond extract; beat until smooth.
- 4.Stir in almond flour, all-purpose flour, and salt until you have a thick, smooth frangipane (like thick cake batter).
- 5.Spoon frangipane into each tart shell, filling about ¾ full.
- 6.Press 4–6 halved fresh cranberries into the top of each one (they’ll sink a bit).
- 7.Bake 20–25 minutes until frangipane is puffed, golden around edges, and cranberries are jammy.
- 8.Cool completely in shells. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if you like
💡 Recipe Notes
-
- •Don’t overfill the shells – leave a little room at the top or the frangipane spills over and makes a mess.
- •Use room-temperature butter – cold butter makes lumpy filling; soft butter blends smooth.
- •Halve big cranberries – whole ones can explode and make uneven pockets; halves sink nicely.
- •Watch the edges – pull them out when the frangipane is set and golden – overbaking makes it dry.
- •They taste even better the next day – chill overnight and the flavors meld; keep in a tin up to 3 days
The Most Common Mistakes with Cranberry Almond Frangipane Tartlets
People mess up these tartlets a lot because they think they’re super fancy and hard, but the mistakes are actually simple fixes. The biggest oops is overfilling the shells, if you pile the almond cream too high it spills over the edges and makes a sticky mess in the oven. Another common mistake is using cold butter for the frangipane, it stays lumpy and never gets smooth, so always let the butter get soft first. A lot of people also forget to press the cranberries down a little so they sink into the filling, if you just drop them on top some pop out and roll away. And the worst one is taking them out too early – if the frangipane is still jiggly in the middle they fall apart when you try to eat them. Just bake until the edges are golden and the center looks set.
Things People Should Know About This Recipe
These tartlets are way easier than they look, but there are a few secrets that make them turn out perfect every time. They taste even better the next day because the almond flavor gets stronger and the cranberries get jammier, so make them ahead for parties. The mini shells from the store save tons of time and still look homemade, but if you make your own crust use a simple shortcrust recipe so it stays crisp. They freeze great, bake them, cool them, then pop in a freezer bag for up to a month; just thaw at room temp and they’re ready. And don’t worry if they’re not perfect, the little red cranberry pools make every one look unique and like tiny Christmas art on a plate.
Most Common Variations
And here is what they look like:
Should You Use Dry or Fresh Cranberries?
Fresh or dried cranberries can both work in this recipe but fresh ones are usually better. Fresh cranberries burst open while baking and make bright red jammy pockets inside the almond filling. They add a sharp tart taste that cuts through the sweet almond cream. Dried cranberries are already sweet and chewy so they do not burst the same way. They make the tartlets taste more like regular fruit bars and less special. Most people choose fresh because the color looks prettier and the flavor feels more holiday like.
Where does this Recipe come From?
This recipe comes from French baking where frangipane has been used for hundreds of years. Bakers filled pastry with almond cream and added fruit on top. In North America people started putting cranberries in because they grow here and taste good with almonds. The mini tartlet version became popular for parties because they look nice on a tray. It stayed a quiet recipe that not everyone knows about, but people who try it keep making it for holidays.
Enjoy your Frangipane!
– Cranby
