Delicious mini fruit tarts made with a buttery shortbread crust, creamy vanilla custard and topped with fresh fruit. The perfect bite-sized sweet treat for spring and summer!
I absolutely love these mini fruit tarts! While I love a classic fresh fruit tart, there’s just something about a mini dessert that’s so fun to enjoy. These mini tarts are one of my favorites bite-sized sweets, along with mini cheesecakes, mini raspberry bundt cakes, chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate strawberry dessert kabobs.
Mini tarts
As the weather warms up, I find myself shifting focus from chocolate and caramel desserts to lighter-flavored sweets. I love fruit desserts and these mini fruit tarts really let the juicy fresh berries shine.
I also love mini desserts this time of year. Entertaining tends to take a more casual turn with dinner and drinks on patios and decks, kids running around outside until dark, and bite-sized desserts seem both fancy and casual to me. You can grab one (or more!) as you’re passing by the dessert platter and there’s just something so pretty about a collection of little tarts piled up on top of each other. These mini fruit tarts would be great for those end-of-year or graduation parties we all seem to have this time of year.
The mini tart crust is made from a simple food processor dough reminiscent of shortbread and pressed into mini-muffin tins. Vanilla custard fills the cups after they’re baked and you should top the custard with whatever fruit is freshest and at its peak at the time. So tasty!
Types of fruit for mini tarts
Blueberries and raspberries are my favorite fruits to use, but there are plenty of yummy options! Feel free to use whatever fruit is in season. Below are a few fruits that would taste delicious:
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Kiwi
- Mandarin oranges
- Blackberries
How to make mini tarts
There is a little more work evolved for this mini fruit tart recipe since both the crust and custard are made from scratch, but I promise it’s worth it! You can make the custard while the tart shells are baking, then all that’s left to do is assemble your mini tarts.
To make mini tart shells:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Add flour, powdered sugar and salt to a food processor and blend. Add 1/2 cup cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Then add cold water and process just until the dough starts to stick together. If the dough is still dry, add more water by the teaspoon.
- Scoop about a tablespoon of dough into the cups of a mini muffin pan and press onto bottom and partially up sides. The dough will fill anywhere from 18-24 mini muffin cups.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Use a knife to pop out the mini tart shells and let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make custard for mini tarts:
- In a medium sauce pan over medium-heat, bring milk and vanilla bean paste to a boil.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in cornstarch and whisk until there aren’t any lumps.
- Next whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture until incorporated. Then whisk in remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
- Pour mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
To assemble mini fruit tarts:
- Spoon custard into the cooled mini tart shells and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- Top with berries and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Do tarts need to be refrigerated?
Yes, the custard in the mini fruit tarts needs to be refrigerated. To store, simply place in an airtight container or place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. These mini tarts will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can you make fruit tarts the night before?
Yes! If making ahead of time, I would wait to assemble the mini tarts until the next day. But you can easily bake the tart shells and cook the custard the day before. The tart shells can be stored at room temp, but the custard will need to chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble your mini fruit tarts.
Other fruit desserts:
Mini Fruit Tarts
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter (1 stick, cut into cubes)
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
For the Custard:
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Fruit Toppings:
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Add flour, powdered sugar and salt to a food processor and process to blend. Add 1/2 cup cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Then add cold water and process just until the dough starts to stick together. If the dough is still dry, add more water by the teaspoon.
- Scoop about a tablespoon of dough into the cups of a mini muffin pan and press onto bottom and partially up sides. The dough will fill anywhere from 18-24 mini muffin cups.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Use a knife to pop out the mini tart shells. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Custard:
- Put milk and vanilla bean paste in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the cornstarch and whisk until no lumps remain.
- Next whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
To assemble Mini Fruit Tarts:
- Spoon custard into the cooled crust cups and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Top with berries and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Originally written by Jennifer from The Chronicles of Home.
Another perk of mini desserts? You can sample them before setting them out for your guests! I may or may not have enjoyed a few of these mini fruit tarts before my guests arrived. :)
Seriously, you can not eat just one of these fruit tarts. They are so so good.
These little tarts are absolutely darling and look so tasty!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy! :)
These look absolutely perfect! Great to serve at my niece’s baby shower this weekend!