Description
Classic sweet tartlet shells made with a tender pâte sucrée pastry dough. These individual tart crusts are perfect for filling with creams, fruits, or custards. The dough is enriched with almond meal for added flavor, blind-baked to a delicate golden finish, and designed to hold fillings without shrinkage.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup soft icing sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
- 2 1/2 tbsp almond meal (ground almonds), not almond flour
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1cm (0.4″) cubes
- 1 large egg, at room temperature (~50 – 55g / 2 oz)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients and rub in butter: In a bowl, combine the plain flour, sifted icing sugar, almond meal, and salt. Add the softened, cubed unsalted butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add egg and form dough: Add the large egg to the buttery mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until it becomes difficult to mix. Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a smooth dough ball.
- Chill dough: Flatten the dough into a 2cm (0.8″) thick disc, wrap it in cling wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Divide and roll out dough: Cut the chilled dough disc into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball out into a 15cm (6.5″) round, about 3mm (1/8″) thick. If making mini tartlets with a muffin tin, roll out one large sheet and cut circles accordingly.
- Line tartlet tins: Press each rolled dough round gently into 6 tartlet tins (12cm / 4.7″ diameter). Use the rolling pin over the top to trim excess dough carefully without stretching.
- Prick pastry base: Lightly prick the base of each tart shell about 10 times with a fork to prevent puffing during baking. Avoid piercing all the way through the dough.
- Refrigerate tart shells: Place the prepared tartlet tins in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to further prevent shrinkage during baking.
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F), or 180°C (356°F) if using a fan-forced oven.
- Prepare for blind baking: Cut baking paper pieces about 50% larger than each tart shell. Scrunch and then flatten the paper, fitting it into each shell to fully line the base and sides. Fill the shells with baking beads, dry rice, or beans to weigh down the pastry.
- Blind bake tart shells: For par-bake (if the tartlets will be filled and baked again), bake shells for 12 minutes with weights, then remove the weights and paper and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes until pale golden. For fully baked tartlets (for fillings that will not be baked again), bake for 15 minutes with weights, remove weights and paper, then bake uncovered for 5 minutes until the base is light golden and edges are golden.
- Cool tartlets: Allow the tartlet shells to cool completely in their tins before filling. Cooled shells can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days if not filled immediately.
Notes
- Note 1: Sifting the icing sugar ensures no lumps and a smooth dough texture.
- Note 2: Use almond meal (ground almonds) rather than almond flour to maintain texture and avoid excess oiliness.
- Note 3: Use an egg at room temperature to help bind the dough properly.
- Note 4: When using mini tartlet or muffin tins, rolling out one large sheet and cutting circles is more efficient than portioning individual balls.
- Ensure not to stretch dough when lining tins to prevent pastry shrinkage during baking.
- The butter in the dough acts as a natural grease, so greasing tartlet tins is unnecessary.