Cranberry Almond Tart

Cranberry and almond is such a naturally delicious combination, especially as we head into the winter months. I’m always looking for creative ways to use fresh cranberries – I hoard them because I can’t get enough of their explosive sweet tart flavor. Consider this cranberry almond tart as a lighter, brighter alternative to traditionally heavy holiday desserts. It’s become a new tradition in our house!

popular cranberry dessert recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas

• Cranberry Pie
• Nantucket Cranberry Pie
• Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
• Cranberry Mousse Pie
• Fresh Cranberry Bars
• Fresh Cranberry Muffins
• Chocolate Cake with Cranberry Buttercream

what you’ll need for a cranberry almond tart

• pie crust
  • use a premade pie crust or make your own ~ My favorite pie crust recipe makes 2 crusts, one to use now and one to freeze for later.
• butter
• sugar
• salt
• eggs
• almond flour
  • You’ll usually find a few different types of almond flour in your larger supermarkets:
  • blanched almond flour has a fine texture and is make with skinless almonds, versatile for baking.
  • almond meal: coarser, made with skins, used in coatings and rustic recipes.
  • I like to use fine almond flour for baking, Bob’s Red Mill makes one which you can find here.
• all purpose flour
  • a little bit binds the filling and gives it structure.
• almond extract
  • the extract gives the filling that classic almond flavor, so don’t skip it.
• fresh cranberries
• powdered sugar, for topping

what is frangipane?

Frangipane is a classic nut-based pastry filling usually made with ground almonds. You’ll often find it in European baked goods like almond croissants, or traditional bakery-style fruit tarts. It’s simple to make, and incredibly luxe and delicious as the base for a tart. If you’ve never had it before, it has a very moist, dense texture with a very slight chew to it. The buttery, sweet flavor of almond frangipane contrasts perfectly with tart, juicy cranberries in this recipe.

You can use other nuts to make a frangipane, as well. My maple pecan frangipane pie is one of the most requested recipes in my family — it features a frangipane made with toasted pecans instead of almonds and is absolutely divine.

3 tips for a no-fuss flaky pie crust

Pie crust is one of those things that seems to trip people up and stress them out — I’ve never really understood it, to be honest, but maybe that’s because I take a more relaxed approach to making a simple pie or tart crust. If you’re feeling the pressure, here is my best advice:

1. My no-fail pie crust recipe is made right in the food processor which means two things: It’s very easy and fast to put together, and by letting the machine do the work, the butter stays nice and cold which helps ensure a flaky crust.
2. You want to work relatively quickly when you’re rolling out and shaping your pie crust – the longer it stays at room temperature, the more the butter content is going to have a chance to melt. When you’re done placing your crust into your tart pan, place the whole thing in the fridge to keep it cold while you make the filling.
3. Make sure you bake this tart completely and that your oven is set to the correct temperature to ensure that the crust is golden brown and fully baked. That being said, a crust that is slightly underdone or slightly more golden brown then you see here is still going to taste delicious, so don’t stress!

want to change things up?

Use pecans instead of almonds for a cranberry pecan tart.

• To make pecan meal process the nuts in a food processor until evenly ground and fluffy. You can toast them first if you like.

Make a gluten free cranberry almond tart

• Use your favorite gluten free readymade crust or crust recipe. Swap a gluten free baking mix for the small amount of all purpose flour in the filling.

Use cherries instead of cranberries

• If you find cranberries too tart, you can use cherries. Check out my Cherry Almond Tart for inspiration.