Portions: 6 servings Calories: 205kcal |
These mini tart shells are a perfect treat for summer. They can be made ahead of time and filled with luscious fruit or savory fillings. Pies and tarts can be a delicious way to celebrate the glorious summer fruits. Here's how to make mini tart shells with an easy pastry dough for an array of fruit desserts.
Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Preparation
Mini tart shells.
Why I ❤️ it
A great option for parties, you can make these mini tart shells which only need 3 ingredients, and fill them with a sweet or savory filling of your choice. With their crispy, cookie-like texture, and no need for complicated pastry making, they are a versatile option for get-togethers as you can fill them with sweet or savory fillings.
Now that the party season approaches use this for those "bring your own" parties. You can make the parts beforehand and assemble them in place. Since this is not just a sweet dish, you can use the filling of your choice, sweet or savory.
Mini tart shells recipe
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Utensils and tools
- Mixing bowl
- Mini muffin tins or mini tart molds
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- Round cookie cutter 3.5 inches [9 centimeters]
Ingredients
For the mini tart shells
- ¼ stick [1 ounce, 28 grams] of unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour [120 grams, 4.2 oz] plus extra to dust the counter
- 6 tablespoons milk (whole or skim)
Pizza tarts
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
- A pinch of crushed black pepper
- A pinch of oregano
- A pinch of sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 12 slices of pepperoni
Mini fruit tarts
- Jelly or fruit jam of your preferred fruit (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, apples, etc.)
- Slices of fresh fruit to decorate (optional)
- Whipped cream
Ricotta and fruit tarts
- ½ cup of ricotta cheese
- 1 cup of fruit in syrup
Preparation
Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.
For the mini tart shells
Step 1: Preheat
Heat the oven to 150 ºC [300 ºF].
Step 2: Mix
Mix butter with flour and milk crumbling with your fingers. It should have a granulated texture. Press as needed to form a ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic film and chill it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Cut
Cut the ball into 8 equal wedges. Press one on a flour-dusted work surface. Roll out each dough with a rolling pin, and cut in circles 3.5" in diameter.
Place the circle on an upside-down mini muffin tin or tartlet molds. Return the cut excess to the fridge to keep chilled.
Step 4: Mold
Repeat until you have used all 8 wedges. Form a ball with the cuts you placed in the fridge and roll out until you've used all the dough. You should obtain around 12 shells in total
Place a greased baking tray on top of the mold, to keep the bottom of the tarts flat.
Step 5: Bake
Bake for 15 minutes or until they turn a very light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Step 6: Store
Place in a zippy bag for an airtight container and keep on the counter overnight, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.
To make pizza tartlets
Step 1: Mix
Mix the tomato sauce with Italian seasoning, pepper, oregano, sugar, and salt. Fill the tartlets with equal amount of mozzarella, top with equal amounts of tomato sauce mixture, and cover with a pepperoni slice
Bake or air fry at 150 ºC [300 ºF] until the cheese melt. Serve.
To make fruit tartlets
Step 1: Filling the tart
Fill the tart crusts with fruit jam, top with a dollop or swirl of whipped cream and decorate with a bit of fruit. Serve right away.
To make Ricotta and fruit mini tarts
Step 1: Filling and serve
Fill the shells with ricotta, drizzle with the syrup, and top with a piece of the fruit.
Variations
Other great fillings for these tartlets are vanilla and chocolate pudding, pastry cream, dulce de leche caramel, guava paste, mousses, chocolate ganache, lemon curd, and this mini lemon meringue tart.
You can also make them into mini quiches by filling them with whisked eggs and minced vegetables, or a mixture of cream cheese and whisked eggs, bake then topped with crispy bacon chips, or top with some smoked salmon after baking.
Top tips
- If you want to save the shells for longer than a day, keep them in the fridge and reheat them shortly before serving since the shells get a bit soft in the fridge. I would not suggest keeping them in the freezer though.
Serving suggestions
This is the perfect finger food to have at any get-together, from the fanciest, to the tea or coffee afternoon with your friends. This tart recipe can be very simple or Instagram-worthy. You choose.
Nutritional information
This nutrition infomation is based on the ricotta and fruit mini tarts.
Serving: 2g - Calories: 205kcal - Carbohydrates: 30g - Protein: 8g - Fat: 6g - Saturated Fat: 4g - Cholesterol: 23mg - Sodium: 44mg - Potassium: 145mg - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 12g - Vitamin A: 285IU - Vitamin C: 1.3mg - Calcium: 124mg - Iron: 1.4mg
FAQs
What are filling for tartlets?
You can fill these tartlets with any number of sweet or savory fillings, like pastry cream, pizza combination, fruit jams, cheese, etc.
How big is a mini tart shell?
These mini tartlets have the size of mini muffin, or about 2 inches [5 centimeters] in diameter.
Should you pre-bake tart shells?
Yes, the tart shells are pre-baked, then filled. Some fillings require baking again, some don't.
Where to buy mini tart shells?
You can buy mini tart shells at your local supermarket.
Print card
This is just a printer-friendly summary, some useful details are found in the recipe above.
How to Make Mini Tart Shells with 2 Fillings
Ingredients
For the mini tart shells
- ¼ stick unsalted butter [1 ounce, 28 grams] at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour [120 grams, 4.2 oz] plus extra to dust the counter
- 6 tablespoons milk whole or skim
Pizza tarts
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
- A pinch of pepper
- A pinch of oregano
- A pinch of sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 12 slices of pepperonni
Mini fruit tarts
- Jelly or jam of your preferred fruit blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, apples, etc.
- Slices of fresh fruit to decorate optional
- Whipped cream
To make a pizza ricotta and fruit filling
- ½ cup of ricotta cheese
- 1 cup of fruit in syrup
Instructions
For the mini tart shells
Step 1: Preheat
- Heat the oven to 150 ºC [300 ºF].
Step 2: Mix
- Mix butter with flour and milk crumbling with your fingers. It should have a granulated texture. Press as needed to form a ball.Wrap the dough in plastic film and chill it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Cut
- Cut the ball into 8 equal wedges. Press one on a flour-dusted work surface. Roll out each dough with a rolling pin, and cut in circles 3.5" in diameter. Place the circle on an upside-down mini muffin tin or tartlet molds. Return the cut excess to the fridge to keep chilled.
Step 4: Mold
- Repeat until you have used all 8 wedges. Form a ball with the cuts you placed in the fridge and roll out until you've used all the dough. You should obtain around 12 shells in totalPlace a greased baking tray on top of the mold, to keep the bottom of the tarts flat.
Step 5: Bake
- Bake for 15 minutes or until they turn a very light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Step 6: Store
- Place in a zippy bag for an airtight container and keep on the counter overnight, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.
To make pizza tartlets
Step 1: Mix
- Mix the tomato sauce with Italian seasoning, pepper, oregano, sugar, and salt. Fill the tartlets with equal amount of mozzarella, top with equal amounts of tomato sauce mixture, and cover with a pepperoni sliceBake or air fry at 150 ºC [300 ºF] until the cheese melt. Serve.
To make fruit tartlets
Step 1: Filling the tart
- Fill the tart crusts with fruit jam, top with a dolop or swirl of whipped cream and decorate with a bit of fruit. Serve right away.
To make ricotta and fruit mini tarts
Step 1: Fill and serving
- Fill the shells with ricotta, drizzle with the syrup, and top with a piece of the fruit.
Notes
Nutrition
By Tia Clara
, published Nov 2, 2012 on
Annie
Hello Tia Clara! I really enjoy your website and the food looks delicious. I was wondering, on your Mini-tart shells filled with ricotta and fruits recipe how thick should I roll the tart shell dough? The pictures look thinner than a normal pie crust. I am 14 so I don't have a plethora of knowledge concerning tart shell thickness. Thanks a bunch, Annie.
Tia Clara
You need to roll it out about 1/16", or as thin as you can. The thinner, the crispier.
Suzanne Perazzini
This is a great recipe for me since I am doing the small servings thing to control my intake of food.
Sandra Paez
This recipe seems very easy to make. I think I'll give it a try. As always, thanks sharing it 😉