Mini Strawberry Tartlets With Cream Cheese Filling
When I was living in France, I used to pass a pâtisserie window filled to the brim with beautiful, individually-sized desserts on my morning commute. My mouth waters just thinking about it! With my recipe for Mini Strawberry Tartlets with Cream Cheese Filling, you can make a dozen of these beauties to transport yourself and your loved ones to a distant land of bakery bliss - no passport required!
Servings: 12 Mini Tarts
Calories: 480kcal
Equipment
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Mini Tart Shells
- ¾ Cup + 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ¼ Cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ Cups Almond Flour blanched or natural
- ¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 2 ¼ Cups Bread Flour
Whipped Cream Cheese Filling
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 2 Cup Cream Cheese room temperature
- 2 Cup Powdered Sugar Sifted
- 2 tablespoon Vanilla Paste or vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1 lb Sliced Strawberries
- ¾ Cup Strawberry Jam
- Chamomile Flowers for garnish
Instructions
Mini Tart Shell
- In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, start by mixing sugar, butter, vanilla paste, salt, almond and all-purpose flour, mixing until combined. Take a moment to scrape the mixing bowl¾ Cup + 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste, ½ teaspoon Salt , 1 ¼ Cups Powdered Sugar , ½ Cups Almond Flour , ¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- Add room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing between additions2 Eggs
- Add bread flour, making sure to not overmix2 ¼ Cups Bread Flour
- Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap – then place in the fridge to chill before using for at least one hour.
- I tend to make my tart dough ahead of time so I throw it in the fridge until the next day. If using this method, remove your dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to roll it out – you’ll find that it will be MUCH easier to work with!
- Once your dough is rolled to the desired thickness, press gently into the bottom of your mini tart pans or rings, poking the bottom of the tart LIBERALLY with a fork, and place in the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes. This is essential – your tart shells are less likely to shrink while baking if you take the time to freeze your shells.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line the shell with parchment paper and baking rice/beans/pie weights to further prevent the dough from puffing up
- Bake until edges become ever so slightly browned - this should take about 20-25 minutes then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Whipped Cream Cheese Filling
- Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it’s smooth and somewhat fluffy.½ Cup Unsalted Butter, 2 Cup Cream Cheese
- Scrape down the sides, then add in the powdered sugar slowly and vanilla paste.2 Cup Powdered Sugar, 2 tablespoon Vanilla Paste
- Place cream cheese frosting in a plastic bag or pastry bag and cut off the tip to prepare for assembling the tarts!
Assembly
- Pipe or spoon in a few tablespoons of jam nto your tart shell, smoothing out the top. Then add the whipped cream cheese filling on top. Add sliced strawberries on top, gently fanning them out before brushing the tops with strawberry jam.1 lb Sliced Strawberries, ¾ Cup Strawberry Jam
- Add sliced strawberries on top, gently fanning them out before brushing the tops of the strawberries with strawberry jam. Place a few edible flowers on top and enjoy!Chamomile Flowers
Notes
Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing the dough will result in the development of too much gluten, which will tighten during the baking process and cause your tart shells to shrink. As you add the bread flour, watch closely. You should turn off the mixer as soon as it is just barely incorporated.
- Rest the dough. When you are first learning to work with pastry, its entirely possible you might overwork the dough a tad; that’s part of your education! After you make the dough a few times, you’ll be a pro. In the meantime, though, remember to rest your dough! This allows the gluten to relax some before you roll and cut it.
- Flour your work surface. After all of your hard work creating the perfect tart dough and rolling it to the perfect thickness (¼ “ in my book), the last thing you want is for your dough to stick to your work surface. If you’re worried about being heavy handed with the flour, use a handheld mesh strainer to help you mete it out more conservatively.
- Freeze before baking. This is a non-negotiable step!! Make sure you give your tartlet shells *at least* 20-30 minutes to firm up in the freezer before baking. This will help prevent shrinking while baking, which in turn will give you more professional looking pastries.
- Poke with wild abandon! As the oven heats and the liquid in the dough warms with it, steam will begin to form under the shells and need a place to go. Poking the bottom of your tart shells allows steam to escape without causing your tart shells to bubble up, which means you’ll have more interior space to fill with jam and cream cheese filling.
- Pie weights are necessary. Blind baking is an essential step for making desserts with unbaked fillings (like this one), or for those fillings that have a shorter bake time than the crusts. While poking holes in the crust will help the steam to escape, keeping the crust weighted down will ensure that your tart looks clean and professional.
Nutrition
Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 843IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
