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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
Tart crust recipe for 6 tartlets (mini tart shells) or 9.5 inch tart pan
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
Nutrition
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.
No u can't skip the egg and the recipe is perfect
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
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.
Can I skip the egg in the recipe
I was going to try lemon curd. Could I put this in the crust before banking and bake together?
Thanks
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?
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?
I'm trying to find this pan and the only one Williams Sonoma has is 4 in.
How long will the crust keep? And how do you store them if you want to make them for later usage?
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.
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!
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.
cool! i am embarking on a plum tart this weekend!
I actually made some plum tarts recently - will be posting a recipe with photos soon.
Can i keep the dough refrigerated for a few days
Yum! Now I'm craving tartlets!
I agree with Suzanne, this is very helpful and a great step-by-step tutorial.
Thank you, Eva.
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.
Thank you! I have quite a few tart molds, too. Can't wait to use them on all sorts of recipes.
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 )
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.