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    Tart crust recipe for 6 tartlets or large 9.5 inch tart

    By Julia | Updated: Jun 10, 2018 | Published: Sep 06, 2012 | 23 Comments

    618 shares
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    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    This is a basic sweet tart dough recipe, adapted from the cover for the tartlet molds I purchased at Williams-Sonoma.  It makes a great flaky sweet crust for 6 small tartlets (mini tart shells), which are 3 inches diameter each. It's a great way to make individual fruit desserts or small savory appetizers. This recipe will also work for one 9.5 inch diameter tart pan.

    How to make tart crust dough pie from scratch: sweet and flaky

     

    To make this recipe, I am using a tartlet mold I purchased at Williams-Sonoma.  I just love their products - you can always find something unique and unusual for your baking and cooking needs.

    This recipe makes 6 small tarts, 3 inches diameter each.
    This recipe also works for 1 large tart, 9.5 inches diameter.

    How to make tart crust for 6 tartlets (mini tart shells):

    Below are some helpful step-by-step photos. For complete recipe, scroll down to the recipe box.

    How to prepare tart dough:

    1)  Using food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt to combine thoroughly.

    2)  Cut cold butter into small cubes. Add the butter into the food processor and pulse butter, flour, sugar and salt until the consistency becomes that of a coarse meal.
    How to make sweet tart crust dough recipe
    How to make sweet tart crust dough recipe

    3)  In a small cup, combine the egg yolk, ice water and vanilla and stir well together. Add the egg mixture to the food processor and pulse to combine. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
    How to make sweet tart crust dough recipe

    How to bake tart dough after it's been refrigerated for 2 hours:

    1) Preheat an oven to 350 F.

    2)  Divide the dough into 6 parts and roll each into a ball.
    How to make sweet tart crust dough recipe

    3)  Grease your tartlet pan well.

    4)  Flour the working surface, and roll each ball into a disk larger in a diameter than a well of your tart pan, then place the round into a greased well. Because rolling each ball into a disk and placing it into a well usually takes time, I keep the rest of the balls in the refrigerator and take each one out to work on one ball at a time.  This way, the dough is kept cold, which will help the crust be soft and flaky.

    Also, after I shape 2 disks and place them into a tart pan, I put a tart pan in the freezer and shape the other 2 disks. Then, I take the tart pan out of the freezer, place the 2 disks in and repeat. Once you filled all of the tart pans (or all wells in a tart pan), place the tart pan(s) in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking.
    How to make sweet tart crust dough recipe

    5)  Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork 2 or 3 times. Bake the shells for 25 minutes until golden brown, not dark. Rotate the tart pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.

    6)  Remove the tartlets  from the oven and let them cool completely.

    Tartlet recipes

    • Breakfast mini tartlets with eggs, gouda cheese, spinach and grape tomatoes
    • Bacon and egg quiche breakfast tartlets
    • Sweet tartlets with caramelized plums
    How to make tart crust for 6 tartlets (mini tart shells)
    4.92 from 12 votes

    Tart crust recipe for 6 tartlets (mini tart shells) or 9.5 inch tart pan

    This is a basic sweet tart dough recipe. It makes a great flaky sweet crust for 6 small tartlets (mini tart shells), which are 3 inches diameter each.  Great recipe for making individual fruit desserts or small savory appetizers. This recipe will also work for one 9.5 inch diameter tart pan.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 40 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine French
    Servings 6 people
    Calories per serving 323 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups flour
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 10 tablespoons butter cold unsalted
    • 1 egg yolks
    • 2 tablespoons cold water
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions 

    Prepare tart dough:

    • Using food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt to combine thoroughly.
    • Cut cold butter into small cubes. Add the butter into the food processor and pulse butter, flour, sugar and salt until the consistency becomes that of a coarse meal.
    • In a small cup, combine the egg yolk, ice water and vanilla and stir well together. Add the egg mixture to the food processor and pulse to combine. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

    How to cook tart dough after it’s been refrigerated for 2 hours:

    • Preheat an oven to 350 F.
    • Divide the dough into 6 parts and roll each into a ball.
    • Grease each tartlet well. Flour the working surface, and roll each ball into a disk larger in a diameter than a well of your tart pan, then place the round into a greased well. Because rolling each ball into a disk and placing it into a well usually takes time, I keep the rest of the balls in the refrigerator and take each one out to work on one ball at a time. This way, the dough is kept cold, which will help the crust be soft and flaky. Also, after I shape 2 disks and place them into a tart pan, I put a tart pan in the freezer and shape the other 2 disks. Then, I take the tart pan out of the freezer, place the 2 disks in and repeat. Once you filled all of the tart pans (or all wells in a tart pan), place the tart pan(s) in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking.
    • Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork 2 or 3 times. Bake the shells for 25 minutes until golden brown, not dark. Rotate the tart pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.
    • Remove the tartlets from the oven and let them cool completely.

    Notes

    Refer to step-by-step photos above the recipe box.  
    The recipe is adapted from the cover for the tartlet molds I purchased at Williams-Sonoma.  

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Tart crust recipe for 6 tartlets (mini tart shells) or 9.5 inch tart pan
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    323
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    20
    g
    31
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    12
    g
    75
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    82
    mg
    27
    %
    Sodium
     
    217
    mg
    9
    %
    Potassium
     
    33
    mg
    1
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    32
    g
    11
    %
    Sugar
     
    8
    g
    9
    %
    Protein
     
    3
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    625
    IU
    13
    %
    Calcium
     
    14
    mg
    1
    %
    Iron
     
    1.5
    mg
    8
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition Disclaimer:

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Mea

      July 10, 2021 at 10:09 am

      No u can't skip the egg and the recipe is perfect

      Reply
    2. Karina

      March 31, 2021 at 9:14 am

      this completely failed for me. Did everything is the exact same proportion you've indicated, the dough was falling apart when I was rolling it. Quite a bad recipe

      Reply
      • Meagan Carney

        August 04, 2021 at 6:50 pm

        If your dough was falling apart you could have needed more water. Water and liquids can sometimes vary depending on how humid or dry the place you live is.

        Reply
    3. Mousumi Biswas

      December 26, 2020 at 1:08 am

      Can I skip the egg in the recipe

      Reply
    4. Nan W.

      November 12, 2019 at 9:40 pm

      I was going to try lemon curd. Could I put this in the crust before banking and bake together?
      Thanks

      Reply
    5. Marianne Rossant

      February 21, 2019 at 7:31 pm

      Hi. I have a question. I made the dough tonight and will make tarts tomorrow. Must I blind bake or can I put filling in and bake?

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 22, 2019 at 9:23 pm

        I would bake the tart shells first, and then put the filling in, and finish baking with the filling in the tart shells. It actually depends on the type of filling. What kind of filling are you making?

        Reply
    6. pam

      January 29, 2019 at 2:29 pm

      I'm trying to find this pan and the only one Williams Sonoma has is 4 in.

      Reply
    7. Christie

      January 21, 2017 at 4:13 pm

      How long will the crust keep? And how do you store them if you want to make them for later usage?

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 31, 2017 at 1:58 am

        Cooked crust still tastes great after a week, if kept refrigerated. I wouldn't keep cooked crust refrigerated for more than a week. If you freeze cooked crust, you can keep it for a month.

        Reply
    8. Kayley

      August 13, 2014 at 3:22 pm

      Would you adjust the recipe for 6 4 inch tartlets or do you think this would suffice? So hard to find recipes for the smaller pans!

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 19, 2014 at 2:41 pm

        Kayley, because this recipe is for 6 3-inch tartlets, it will probably not suffice for the same number of 4-inch tartlets, so you will probably have to make 4 or 5 4-inch tartlets with this recipe.

        Reply
    9. anna

      September 06, 2012 at 10:07 pm

      cool! i am embarking on a plum tart this weekend!

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 09, 2012 at 12:16 am

        I actually made some plum tarts recently - will be posting a recipe with photos soon.

        Reply
      • Gary White

        July 15, 2019 at 12:36 pm

        Can i keep the dough refrigerated for a few days

        Reply
    10. Russell at Chasing Delicious

      September 06, 2012 at 3:39 pm

      Yum! Now I'm craving tartlets!

      Reply
    11. Eva @ 1 big bite

      September 06, 2012 at 2:55 pm

      I agree with Suzanne, this is very helpful and a great step-by-step tutorial.

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 09, 2012 at 12:14 am

        Thank you, Eva.

        Reply
    12. Suzanne perazzini

      September 06, 2012 at 2:01 am

      This a great tutorial. I usually use store-bought pastry to save time when cooking in the evenings and I love making small tarts and have similar tartlet molds to yours.

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 09, 2012 at 12:15 am

        Thank you! I have quite a few tart molds, too. Can't wait to use them on all sorts of recipes.

        Reply
        • P

          July 08, 2018 at 3:04 pm

          I recently made a filling with rhubarb, raspberry and Bosc pear. Your pastry was perfect! I thought they would make a nice summer dessert but there was only one problem, the tartlets seem to have vanished before supper 😉 (The boys are going to help solve the mystery )

          Reply
          • Julia

            July 16, 2018 at 1:03 pm

            Ha-ha! That's a good sign when the food disappears faster than you expect it. 🙂 Tartlets with the rhubarb, raspberry and pear filling sound so delicious! No wonder they disappeared before dinner.

            Reply

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    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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