Frangipane is a silly word, but it’s a great tool for pastries ranging from sweet puffs to tarts or even croissants! Almond croissants are one of my favorite French pastries. This is a pastry staple and good to have in your arsenal. I recommend using it for fruit puffs, which you can find the recipe for at the end of my puff pastry guide.

I prefer frangipane that isn’t too sweet as I often combine it with ripe and/or syrupy poached fruits. If you want to try some variations, feel free to sub in about half a cup of hazelnut, pistachio, or even coconut flour. This recipe makes a scant 2 cups of frangipane which is just enough for this cherry almond tart.

Almond Frangipane

1 stick (114g) butter
1 cup (100g) almond flour
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 eggs
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then the vanilla extract.

2. Dump in the almond flour, powdered sugar, all purpose flour and salt into the mixing bowl all at once. Paddle until the chunky mixture comes together, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Refrigerate until using.