This recipe makes a lot of tart shells, and while you can halve the recipe, this tender and buttery dough freezes incredibly well. With just a quick trip to the oven, they are a vehicle for any filling, either homemade or prepared, making them an easy last-minute dessert option you'll be happy to have on hand.
Makes 6 dozen shells
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus as needed for rolling
- 1 cup (4 oz) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 oz unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice, chilled in freezer for 10 minutes
- 3 oz (6 tablespoons) cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch dice, chilled in freezer for 10 minutes
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Grind the sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until it is a fine powder, 30 seconds. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and run the motor until mixed, 10 seconds. Evenly scatter the butter and cream cheese over the flour mixture, breaking up any pieces that have clumped together. Pulse the motor until the dough looks like coarse meal, fifteen 2-second on/off pulses.
- Beat the egg yolks and vanilla in a medium bowl until blended. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and pulse the motor until it is evenly distributed and a dough forms, about twelve 4-second on/off pulses. The dough should not be a cohesive ball but should be crumbles that are pushed up the side of the bowl and stick together when pinched. Pour the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and press it together to form a ball.
- Divide the dough into thirds, pat each into a flat 1-in/3-cm-thick disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. The tartlet dough can be made in advance. Immediately store wrapped in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling out.
- Position racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven and heat to 375°F. Take 1 disk at a time out of the refrigerator, place it on a lightly floured cold surface, and dust the top of the dough and a rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough out to an even 1/8-inch thick circle. Cut into 2 1/2-inch, 3/8 oz/10 g each, reserving scraps in the refrigerator. Press 1 round into each well of a mini muffin pan. Dock the dough by lightly pricking it with a fork or dough docker several times so it does not form blisters as it bakes. Place the pan in the freezer until the dough is firm before baking, at least 10 minutes. The tartlet shells can be rolled out and frozen in advance. Freeze in the mini muffin wells for at least 30 minutes. Quickly remove from the wells and stack them with 2 waxed paper sheets between each layer. Work quickly so they do not thaw.
- Bake until the edges and bottoms are a very light golden, about 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time from front to back and top to bottom. Let the tartlets set for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes in the pans, then gently place a flat tray over the wells and invert the pans so the tartlets come out. They are difficult to remove from the wells when cooled.
- Cool the tartlets on a wire rack. The tartlet shells can be baked in advance. Cool completely. Stack them with 2 waxed paper sheets between each layer. Store wrapped in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
