Mini Fruit Tarts
Bright, bite-sized Mini Fruit Tarts filled with silky pastry cream and topped with seasonal fruit, perfect for any gathering.
Ingredients
Tart Dough
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter See notes for using salted.
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups spooned and leveled)
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- pinch salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 3.5 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted or salted butter (optional)
Fruit + Toppings
- Strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, peaches, etc. (sliced or halved)
- Powdered sugar or a light apricot glaze (for dusting)
Instructions
Tart Dough
- Cream butter and ½ cup sugar, add egg, then mix in flour and 1/8 tsp salt until a soft dough forms; chill for 30 minutes.
Roll and Shape
- Roll dough on a floured surface and press into mini tart pans or a mini muffin tin to form even shells. Chill again for 10 minutes.
Bake Tarts
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake shells for 12–15 minutes until edges are golden; cool completely on a rack.
Make Pastry Cream
- Heat milk with vanilla until steaming. Whisk yolks, ½ cup sugar and cornstarch, then temper with hot milk. Return to heat, whisk until thick, then remove and stir in 2 tbsp butter if using; cool.
Chill Pastry Cream
- Cover pastry cream with plastic touching the surface to prevent skin and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Assemble Mini Fruit Tarts
- Pipe or spoon chilled cream into shells, top with sliced fruit, and finish with a light glaze or powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Chill the dough well to keep shells from shrinking while baking. Whisk pastry cream constantly while cooking to avoid lumps. Cool shells completely before filling to maintain crispness. Use ripe, firm fruit so slices hold shape on top of cream. Store assembled tarts in a single layer in the fridge and eat within 24–48 hours.