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Easy Mini Tart Shells (No Shrinking!) Recipe

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4 from 14 reviews

  • Author: Sara
  • Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 32 mini tart shells
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

These Easy Mini Tart Shells are perfectly crisp and golden with no shrinking, making them ideal for a variety of sweet or savory fillings. Using a simple dough of all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, cold butter, and egg, along with careful chilling and blind baking techniques, these tart shells bake up beautifully every time. The recipe yields about 32 small tart shells, perfect for parties or dessert platters.

Ingredients

Tart Dough

  • 180 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
  • 40 grams powdered sugar (1/3 cup)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 114 grams very cold unsalted butter, cubed (1/2 cup)
  • 1 large cold egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, powdered sugar, and Kosher salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine evenly.
  2. Add Butter: Toss the cubed cold butter into the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture becomes sandy in texture with pea-sized and smaller chunks of butter visible.
  3. Incorporate Egg and Vanilla: Add the cold egg and optional vanilla extract to the mixture. Blitz in the food processor just until the dough clumps together and forms a Play-Doh-like texture.
  4. Knead and Chill Dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently a few times until smooth. Divide into two halves, pat each into a 1/2-inch thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap or parchment, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  5. Roll and Cut Dough Circles: Dust your surface lightly with flour. Roll out one disc at a time to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 3 to 3 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out dough circles. Gather scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting until you have about 32 circles total.
  6. Fit Dough into Pan: Using an offset spatula or butter knife, transfer the dough circles into a cupcake pan. Press evenly into each cup with a pastry tamper or spoon, making sure dough is snug on edges and bottom. Dock the dough bottoms with a fork. Refrigerate for 1 hour to keep crusts cold and prevent shrinking.
  7. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Place a paper cupcake liner in each crust cup and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice to weigh them down for blind baking.
  8. Par-Bake for Baked Fillings: Bake the crusts for 15-18 minutes until set and golden around edges. Remove cupcake liners carefully; if sticking occurs, bake 2-3 minutes longer until liners release easily. Proceed with filling and further baking as per your filling recipe.
  9. Blind-Bake for No-Bake Fillings: Bake crusts for 15-18 minutes until set and lightly golden. Remove liners carefully; if sticking occurs, bake 2-3 more minutes. Then bake uncovered an additional 7-10 minutes until crusts are crisp and deep golden-brown. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely prior to filling.

Notes

  • Keep butter and egg cold to achieve the flakiest crust.
  • Refrigerating the shaped tart shells before baking prevents shrinking during baking.
  • Docking the dough with a fork helps avoid puffing up.
  • Use pie weights or dried beans to weigh down the crust for even blind baking.
  • Handle paper liners carefully after baking to avoid breaking your crusts.
  • This recipe yields approximately 32 mini tart shells suitable for bite-sized desserts or appetizers.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: French

Find it online: https://sarabaking.com/easy-mini-tart-shells-no-shrinking-recipe/