How to Make Mini Cream Tarts at Home

These Cream Tarts are miniature tarts made with buttery shortcut pastry. What makes them special is the combination of crunchy yet soft outside and creamy inside. They are loved by children and adults in Italy and a perfect treat in lunchboxes.

For anyone who would eat the Dessert shown in the Image below, this Recipe is just right.

Mini Tarts Recipe

The upcoming paragraph serves educational purposes on the Italian cuisine.

You can find the instructions for the Recipe below.

Cream Tarts, in Italian "crostatine" unfortunately do not have the global recognition they deserve.

They are a perfect holiday treat, great tea or coffee companions and offer so much versatility.

The filling in this recipe is pastry cream. Popular filling alternatives are jam or whipped cream.

Now the Recipe will Initiate. It will be structured in Ingredients, Instructions and Variations.

This Recipe includes both dough and cream instructions.

Ingredients

Cream

• 1/2 l Milk

• 3 Egg Yolks

• 50g Sugar (1/4 cup)

• 40g Flour (1/3 cup)

• 1/2 Vanilla Bean

Note: The Vanilla Bean can be substituted with Vanilla Extract.

Dough

• 275g flour (7/3 cups)

• 80g Butter (1/3 cup)

• 80g Sugar (1/3 cup)

• 1 egg

• pinch of salt

Instructions

How to make Pastry Cream

Step 1 :

Mix the Egg Yolks with Sugar and Flour until the consistency is smooth.

Step 2 :

In a small pot, warm up the Milk with Extracted Vanilla Seeds inside until lukewarm.

Advice: The Vanilla seeds can be extracted with the tip of a knife after cutting the bean lengthwise.

Step 3 :

Slowly add the Egg Yolk Mixture to the Milk over Low Heat, stirring continuosly. Keep stirring until the Mixture is smooth and well combined.

Continue stirring gently until the cream thickens, then remove it from the heat.

Advice: Add in only small amounts of Eggyolk Mixture at a time to avoid a clumps.

Step 4 :

Let the Cream cool down while preparing the mini-tarts.

How to make Mini Tart Shells

Step 1 :

Mix flour, sugar, salt and room temperature butter. Finally, add eggs.

Advice: Cut the butter in small chunks before adding it.

Note: Avoid over-mixing the dough to keep it firm.

Step 2 :

Refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes.

Note: This way it will be easier to work with it.

Step 3 :

Roll out the dough, then press it into the tart molds, ensuring it fits snugly into the edges.

Step 4 :

Bake in the Oven at 180°C (356°F) for 20 min.

Tart Filling

Fill up the small tarts with cream, then decorate them with whatever topping you prefer. Some fruit or chocolate is recommended.

In the chapter below some ideas are introduced.

Mini Tart Filling Ideas

Mini Fruit Tarts

Because of the neutral, vanilla based flavour of the cream tarts, various kinds of fruits go perfectly with them and make them pop with colours and contrast.

Examples are all kinds of berries, apples, tropical fruits and peaches.

Mini Chocolate Tarts

Another topping that goes well on the white cream is chocolate. Small chocolate chips, chocolate drizzle or sprinkles for example look amazing as decorations.

Chocolate Cream

Another idea would be to turn the pastry cream into chocolate cream :

While the milk heats up in step 1, chopped chocolate can be added to it.

On chocolate cream filled tarts, toppings like fruit, chunked cookies or even chopped pistacchio taste delicious.

Pistacchio Filling

Of course, the pistacchio filling has to be introduced aswell. While the milk heats up in step 1 (pastry cream), pistacchio cream can be added to it - creating a pistacchio flavoured green cream.

For decorations, chopped pistacchio or white chocolate are recommended.

These variations conclude this small cream tart recipe.

Do you have any Wishes for Future Recipes?

Let me know in the Comments below my Youtube Video or YT Shorts ! 👩🏻‍🍳🥧

Thank you for reading !

I hope This Recipe was Helpful :)

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