Salad in a Jar

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Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts

Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts, pies, custard

Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts are shortbread-crusted miniature tarts filled with a light, creamy custard filling (made in the microwave), then topped with fresh fruit of your choice. They are easy to serve and easy to eat. Make your next celebration memorable with this gorgeous dessert.

Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts

We’re back! We’ve been out of the country and now we’re in recovery mode.

While I’m putting together a few of my favorite food shots from the Holy Lands, I thought I would share some easy fresh fruit mini-tarts we served at a wedding shower recently.

Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts -- variation making a full size tart

Make  small tarts or a larger one if you prefer.  A dab of currant jelly adds sparkle.

You might notice this is one more way to dress up cream pie filling–an obsession with me here lately.  It’s just so easy with a microwave!

Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts - assembling fruit tarts

Make them easy with this recipe for the shortbread crust. Molds available from Amazon.

A few people have reported some difficulties with the crust, so I went back to my favorite cookie crust recipe. I like the texture better and hope you do too.

Nevertheless, these tiny crusts are still somewhat tedious and not recommended for people who have never made a pie crust. Store-bought, pre-baked mini crusts are readily available and highly recommended if you are a novice baker or trying to make these in quantity.

Kitchen Secrets For Making the Mini-Crusts

#1  Grease and flour your molds generously

unless you are using silicone molds (I totally love ’em) like those pictured. Baker’s Secret is perfect for the job.

#2  Freezing the tart crusts before you bake them is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

Otherwise, they will shrink and melt the minute they hit the oven.

#3  Place foil inside crusts, pressed down into the shape of the crust.

This will keep them from rising up in the middle. No other weight is necessary. Save foil. It’s reusable.

#4  Turn the crusts out of the pan within 3-4 minutes after coming out of the oven.

Do it quickly, but gently.  These are a bit fragile. On the other hand, they taste like a cookie so the broken ones make great eating all by themselves. (The crusts NEVER sticks to the silicone molds. I can’t recommend them enough.)

I have included this picture from my post about Chocolate Ganache Mini-Tarts to illustrate the process of making the tart crusts.

rolling out chocolate tarts--showing the process

Never mind that the dough is chocolate in these pictures. The process is the same.

Yield: 13-14 tarts

Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts

Fresh Fruit and Cream Mini-Tarts
These shortbread-crusted tarts are filled with a light, creamy custard and topped with fresh fruit of your choice.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Tart Crust:

  • 1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), chilled
  • 1 egg yolk (from a large egg)
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cream Filling:

  • 2-3/4 cups milk (I use 2-1/2 cups nonfat milk + 1/4 cup whipping cream but any type will work)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup currant jelly

Instructions

Crust:

  1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Cut butter into 8 slices and add to flour, pulsing several times until mixture resembles oatmeal. Add egg yolk mixed with cream. Pulse until all ingredients are moistened. Then allow machine to run a few seconds until dough starts to stick together. (Add additional drops of cream if dough seems too dry.) Press dough into a roll like refrigerated cookie dough. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
  2. Spray molds generously with Baker's Secret or something like it. (Baker's Secret is an aerosol spray that mixes flour and oil.) If using silicone molds, no greasing is necessary.
  3. Slice roll of dough into 12 pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap into a circle slightly larger than tart molds. Press into mold with fingers being careful to keep thickness consistent. Use a knife to trim off any extra at the top. I usually have enough scraps to make another tart or two. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, overnight or up to a month.
  4. Place frozen tart shells on cookie sheet and press a small square of foil down into each crust that molds to shape of crust. See picture above. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden brown, usually about 3-4 minutes.

Cream Filling:

  1. Add milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, (in that order) to blender. Blend 5 seconds and pour into 2-quart glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 6 minutes on HIGH, whisking until smooth after 3 minutes, then every minute thereafter.
  2. Add butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Assembly:

  1. Fill each baked tart shell with cream filling. Top with fruit of your choice. Melt 1/4 cup currant jelly and use a brush to dab some shininess on each piece of fruit. It's OK if some drips onto the cream.

Notes

1. If dough in food processor seems too dry to press into a ball, add a teaspoon or two of milk or cream.

2. Tarts are best eaten the day they are assembled.

3. A dollop of whip cream makes these even better.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1 tart
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 266 Total Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 98mg Sodium: 170mg Carbohydrates: 32g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 17g Protein: 6g
© Paula of saladinajar.com
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts
Shortbread-crusted tarts filled with a light, creamy custard filling and topped with fresh fruit of your choice

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  2. These are absolutely delicious! Everything turned out beautifully and everyone loved them! I have to make more for my mother. She is crazy over them. I just served them with a little sliced banana and Hershey’s chocolate syrup. I am anxious to try other fruits.

    Reply

  3. The recipe looked tasty, so I tried it. Can not get the cream filling to thicken. I noticed the same comment from Emily back in Dec 2011, no reply. By chance can you think of what may be going wrong?

    Reply

  6. Hi. I tried making this recipe and the only problem I had was with the instructions for the custard filling. I followed the instructions and measurements just how it was written and my custard didn’t thicken at all in the microwave. I even microwaved it a few minutes longer and still nothing happened. It was very upsetting as it was planned for a dessert that day and it never hardened in the fridge. After following the instructions, I looked back at the pictures and saw that custard was really thick and the instructions never explained how to make the custard thick. Very disappointed.

    Reply

    • Laura,
      I am so sorry about your custard. I am have made this recipe many, many times with great success as have others. My only guess is that perhaps your microwave is not very powerful and it needed to be cooked much longer or that you left out the cornstarch. Also, the pudding does get much thicker as it cools. Again, my regrets.

      Reply

  7. Made your recipe for a graduation party yesterday. It was outstanding. I am amaze how easy it was to make the filling in the microwave. No risk of scorching or constant stir like traditional method.

    This will definitely be my go to recipe from now on. Thanks!

    Reply

  8. I am soooo not a baker but I found your cream recipe so easy to follow and delicious! Will be using it again and again. Thankful I found your website!

    Reply

  9. I’m making these cute mini fruit tart for a school event and the cream came out a little weird. Its yellow and very thick. Is the cream suppose to be a light beige, similar to the picture? Is there a way for me to make it more smooth?

    Reply

    • You might try using the whole egg instead of just the yolk. I don’t think the tarts are quite as tender when substituting egg white for heavy cream, but they are still quite wonderful and perhaps a little more sturdy.

      Reply

    • I let the cream cool down a little bit but it is still warm when I pour it into the tart shells. They are good the day you make them but the crust will begin to get a little soggy the next day–although it wouldn’t prevent me from eating them. 🙂

      Reply

  12. It is great tnx.
    I made the big one the crust was perfect but I have changed the filling. I really liked it because it was my first time and it was ok.

    Reply

    • Lyn,
      The custard recipe included with these fruit and cream mini-tarts is wonderful, in my opinion. I have found nothing better or easier.

      Reply

  14. I did not take them out of the container to cool but the custard I made I folded whipped cream in to it then spooned it in after few hrs we had it after lunch within 4 hrs it was very soggy please share your custard recipe with me thank you

    Reply

  15. I did not take them to cool but the custard I made I folded whipped cream in to it then spooned it in after few hrs we had it after lunch within 4 hrs it was very soggy please share your custard recipe with me thank you

    Reply

  16. When I put my custard filling. It sat in the fridge for about 3 hrs before serving
    It went to much the custard made it soft I could not pick the tart out of is container I had to eat it with a spoon

    Reply

    • Hi Lynn,
      I’m not sure I understand what you did. After you bake the tarts, you should take them out of the molds to cool. They become very crisp like a shortbread cookie. If you leave them in the molds, the moisture put off while cooling and the moisture from the cream filling would most likely make the crust soft. These tarts are best the day they are made.

      Reply

  17. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I tried it today and it came out really well. I have a 1000 watts microwave and 6 minutes did the trick. I don’t have a website but I put in a link on pinterest of the tarts I made following your recipe. I found silicone molds at Walmart (6 for 2 dollars) and it was so easy to remove them. Thanks again 🙂

    Reply

  18. Hi Paula your fruit tart looks good. I’ve made this tart, but at the end of the day the fruits looks wilted. How do I make it look fresh all day?

    Reply

    • Hi Mariter,
      I’m sorry I don’t really have a good answer other than to use the freshest fruits possible and don’t wash them until minutes before you put them on the tart or just wiping them is even better. That’s why I wrote in the recipe that the fruit is best added just before serving. It’s the nature of the beast. The melted jelly helps them look fresher too but I assume you did that already.

      Reply

  19. hi I was having the same problem a few of u mentioned, my filing wouldn’t thicken, even after about an hr of working on it. so I put that same filing in a sauce pan n began to cook it on the stove low flame while stirring it n right away it began to thicken

    Reply

    • Glad the stove worked for you Jezabel. Microwave ovens are wildly different from each other so it’s difficult to specify an exact time because the same time won’t work for everybody. paula

      Reply

  20. I tried these and the chocolate cases with ganache and they were an absolute hit!!! Thanks a million for the recipe .. I was able to prepare them in advance as in freezing the shells etc so not much work on then assembly day!

    Reply

    • Casey,
      Hmmm. Good question. All I can say is that I get about 14-15 individual tart crusts from one recipe. They aren’t very thick but have not actually measured them.

      Reply

  22. Hey, I liked the recipe very much. But there is a problem I’m pure Vegetarian. Can I try this recipe without the eggs. Would there be a major difference in the taste or not. Please guide me.

    Regards
    Shagun Handa

    Reply

    • Shagun,
      Oh dear. I am not vegetarian and I LOVE eggs so I can’t be trusted to give you advice. I would think there is a major difference without eggs. Seems like the pudding would be like sweet gravy. But surely there are recipes for vanilla pie filling/pudding on the web you could Google.

      Reply

  23. Hey there, this recipe looks great! I’m looking to make these for mother’s day and I just have one question..
    If I don’t have the shaped baking molds like that, can I just use a mini muffin tin and press the dough into it instead?

    Reply

    • Hi Sara,

      I can’t honestly say I’ve tried the mini-muffin pans. Thinking that is a bit too small. Perhaps better to use regular muffin pans. The crusts will shrink a bit. Be sure you spray them well with Bakers Joy or something similar. Also, be sure unbaked crusts are frozen hard when you put them in the oven.

      Reply

  24. I have tart dough in the refrigerator now and was looking for a great filling– I have found it here– thanks! Also, it’s my good luck that I have the same molds from World Market and I appreciate your photos showing how to fill them with dough. I hope mine turn out nearly as pretty as yours.

    Reply

  25. I am wondering if you have instructions anywhere to make the cream on the stovetop. We don’t use a microwave for health reasons, but these sound amazing! Let me know if you do! Thanks!

    Reply

  26. O M G these were so amazing and so easy to make. I just had a little trouble finding the molds but right when I was ready to give up I found them…..you were right the molds make it much easier. They are so good I even put little marshamellow’s in before I put the cream I made these for our church’s breakfast everyone loved them and are asking for more thank you so much.

    Reply

  27. Hi Paula,

    I just tried out your tart crust recipe and it’s absolutely delicious! Your tarts look amazing! I’m looking forward to making more fruity tarts now that I have a finally found a great cookie recipe. Thanks for sharing! 😀

    Rebecca

    Reply

  28. I tried making the filling and did exactly what you said but it’s not thickening. Do I wait or leave in the fridge for it to thicken? I microwaved it for 6 mins and it’s still liquidy:/

    Reply

    • Nancy,
      It will get much thicker when it is chilled but I suspect you need to microwave it a little longer. It should coat a spoon rather heavily, just like it would if you cooked it on top of the stove. Microwave ovens vary greatly, so it is difficult to specify an exact time to cook. Also, it can thicken in a matter of 10 seconds so watch it closely as it cooks until you know exactly how long it will take in your specific oven.
      (p.s. Sorry for the duplicate answer but I wanted to put this on the blog for others who might have the same experience as you.)

      Reply

  30. Your fruit tarts are very beautiful. I love to see them very much. Thank you very much for your wonderful recipe. I will try to do as your instruction once day and i hope the fruit tarts that i make by myself will very delicious and good looking like yours. Thank you and wish you much more famous on the world.

    Reply

  31. Hi Paula, these tarts look amazing! Fruit tarts are one of my favorite desserts, so I had to try them. However, the cream filling never set for me. It was runny as milk. I followed your directions exactly. Any idea why this may have happened?

    Reply

    • Kristin, Microwaves vary a lot. Perhaps yours is a lower power than mine and you just need to cook longer. The other possibility is that you accidently left out the cornstarch. Otherwise, I’m not sure. pr

      Reply

  33. I’m making these tarts for Thanksgiving for my boyfriends family, I am making them the day before. Will they still be good tomorrow? Any tips for how to keep them longer?

    Reply

  34. hi , thank you for replying… i had trouble with transporting the filled tarts, and some said the tart were not cold ,like some store bought tarts have that cooled taste. do u have to keep it in the fridge before serving?
    my tart shells also came out very thick, like a biscuit, it was nice but too thick for a tart..would luv some advice on this…
    lovely reciepes..
    thank u again

    Reply

    • Alecia,

      Yes, I would keep the tarts chilled as much as possible. Transporting them can be a challenge. Maybe use a big ice chest.

      Regarding the thickness of the tarts: this is something you will figure out with experience. It is very hard for me to advise you since I don’t know the size of the pans you are using. If you make them too thin, they will tend to break so you have to experiment with the specific tart pans you are using. The more you make them, the easier it will be.

      Thanks for writing and letting me know how they turned out.

      Reply

  35. since i noted a tart should be cold when serving so how dou transport ad serve it cold at friends party, especially when u make in big quantities ..how long before do u prepare it .. thanks

    Reply

  36. hi i just wanted to know , whats the best time to assemble it before a party and do we refrigerate it after assemling the tart… how long can we prepare it before hand and keep it… especially if u want to prepare it for a friends party and u have to transport it to her house.. thanks

    Reply

    • Alefia,
      I recommend assembling the same day you want to eat it. Then store in the fridge. It won’t hurt for them to sit out a little while during transit or on a serving table. If you need to do all the work ahead of time, make the crusts and the filling. Store separately. The day of the party, put the filling in the crusts, then the fruit on top. If the filling sits in the crust too long, the crust will soften but that takes anywhere between 12-24 hours. Hope this helps. Write back if you still have questions.

      Reply

  38. Hi Paula,

    You said that pre-made crusts work great for this recipe–which brands do you recommend (and which grocery stores carry them)? I can’t seem to find them anywhere!

    Thanks!

    Kay

    Reply

  39. Help, I just made the cream and it’s not thick at all. Is it suppose to be thickening at all after the 6 minutes in the microwave or does it start to thicken after? And if it only thickens after, do I cool it in the refrigerator or room temperature?

    Reply

  40. Hi Paula! thanks for sharing such a wonerfull recipe I have a question If I want to make a whole tart instead of small tarts am i supposed to use same ingrediants?

    Reply

    • Kinda,
      Yes, same ingredients exactly. The cream recipe will probably be a little too much as it is with the small tarts. It’s not too difficult to eat the leftover cream with a spoon. 🙂

      Reply

  41. Hi! I just made these tarts, and everything worked beautifully. I followed your instructions to the T. I am so pleased with my delicious little desserts!

    Reply

  43. Hi, I was following this recipe step by step and it did not turn out at all. I have baked a lot before so, for the most part i know what im doing. I dont have a food processor nor do i have any means of getting one so i tried both my mixer and blender and still nothing worked well. They look amazing in the pictures but the recipe just did not work out.

    Reply

    • Jessica, Tell me more. Was it the crust or the filling that did not work? What exactly was not like you expected? What did you try to make in the mixer? I hardly know where to start but would love to help you. The tarts could be made by hand and you can use a whisk for the cream filling if you don’t have a blender. If you only had trouble with the crust, you might look for some ready-made ones. The homemade shells are somewhat labor-intensive, but the taste is worth the trouble. Look forward to hearing from you.

      Reply

    • Erika,
      I don’t stab the crusts although if it works for you, do it. If they are puffing, I just open the oven door and use my thumb to push them down.

      And thank-you so much for the link. Glad you liked them. I couldn’t agree more about the cream filling.

      Reply

  47. Also could I use this tart crust recipe to flatten, cut out with a cookie cutter, and then put it into a muffin tin?

    Reply

    • I did this with mini-muffin tins and it definitely works great. I cut little triangles on four different sides of the circle cookie-cutter, that way when I settled it into its little nook the edges fall nicely together. Just make sure you don’t cut too much out otherwise the edges won’t touch and then fuse and therefore will be prone to busting when your guest goes for the delectable little dessertysert. DO it 🙂

      Reply

  48. What does 1-1/2 cup mean?
    does it mean 1 cup to 1/2 cup or 1 and a half cups?
    Sorry if this seems like a bit of a stupid question
    Im still sort of a baking noob.

    Reply

  49. thanks for such an accurate recipe n simple too! best tarts ever!!!my family just licked all the leftover cream filling !!!i know i ll have to make these more often now….

    Reply

  50. I just made these and the custard is amazing. I used skim milk and was doubtful that it would thicken but it absolutely did. Wow. Now, if I had only waited until the custard was cool before trying to fill the mini tarts….

    Reply

  52. Happy mother’s day. I took your suggestion and used a whole egg and they turned out very good. The filling is amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe, they are delicious. I’m bringing these for the mother’s day gathering tonight.

    Reply

  53. Hi Paula:
    I have the same problem as Adeline. I made the mini fruit tarts, but the crust just fell apart. I was able to get a few good ones, but when I put fruits in, the strawberry slices are a bit heavy and broke the edge too. Is there anything I can change to make the crust more firm? THanks.

    Reply

    • Cherry, I am so sorry to hear this.  It sounds like the edges may be too thin and therefore, too delicate.  You could also try using the whole egg instead of just the yolk to make the crust a little more sturdy. 

      Reply

  54. Hi Paula. I tried making your tarts for my mom’s Mother’s Day dessert, but the tarts just crumble and fall apart whenever I pull them out of the molds! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Can you help?

    Reply

    • Adeline,
      Since I didn’t watch you make them, I can only guess. Did you make any changes or substitutions to the recipe? Are they sticking to the molds? If so, spray them with Pam first. I REALLY like the silicone molds because nothing sticks to them. Be sure the crust is an even thickness when you make them and be sure they are cooked long enough. You can always buy pre-baked tart shells if necessary. Hope this helps. PR

      Reply

  56. Could you tell me what size your tart molds are? We don’t have a World Market near here and they are not on their website. There are so many sizes of molds I wanted to make sure I got as close to yours as possible. Thanks!

    Reply

  57. Hi,
    I am making these for supper club tomorrow and was wondering if I can make the shells and the filling ahead of time? would I just cover the shells with foil overnight? would i put saran wrap over the cream and refrigerate overnight? If I let the cream stay in the fridge all night, I was wondering how I will fill the shells tomorrow, because won’t it be a lot thicker once it gets cold?
    thanks!!
    crystal

    Reply

    • Hi Crystal,
      Yes, you can make it all ahead of time, just don’t assemble until and hour or two before eating. You can store the shells in an airtight container, like cookies. And yes, Saran wrap over the cream will work fine. Yes the cream gets thicker but no problem. Just use a whisk and whip it up good and it will loosen up.

      Hope all turns out well. paula

      Reply

  58. Great recipe for the cream filling! It was so easy and turned out perfect in the microwave. I’m never going to slave over a stove for pastry cream again. One note for those that didn’t get it to set up – I had to microwave mine for 7 minutes instead of 6 before it thickened.

    Reply

  60. I doubled the recipe because I needed to make around 30 of these… and I couldn’t get my cream to thicken, even after adding an entire 6.5oz container of corn starch. Guess next time i’ll try to separate batches :/

    Reply

    • Hi Ms. Not Betty Crocker,
      If you were making it in the microwave, you should almost double the cooking time. That’s why microwaves are best for small batches. Other than that, I’m not sure what went wrong although an entire container of cornstarch would make it inedible, I would think. YIKES! I do hope you’ll try it again with a single batch and I think you’ll be happier with the results. pr

      Reply

  61. I tried making the Cream Filling. I did everything it says on the directions, but my filling ends up liquid filling instead of thick filling like yours. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply

  62. Hi Paula,
    I stummbled upon your blog….and i’m speechless !!
    I love these tarts !!! I haven’t seen anything better looking and inviting than these !!!
    They are simply DELISH !!!
    I love your food photographs…..why don’t you share some food photography lessons to your blog !! Would love to take some lessons from you.
    Great place.

    Reply

  63. So, my missionary farewell is this Sunday. I am expecting 300+ for brunch. I am doing every bit of it myself since it is Sunday, I can’t hire anyone. Just finished making the pastry cream for the tarts. So delightful and easy. I am hoping it is okay to keep it chilled in the fridge until I fill the shells. I have a box of premade pidi shells from a company in New York. I plan on filling them with your pastry cream and decorating them with the fruit and jelly like you said to. I need to make these the night before, and hope they will hold up, as our church meeting is at 8:30 A.M. and we will be eating about 11:00. I will let you know how they turned out. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!!!!!!!

    Reply

    • Oh my goodness, I’m kinda nervous for you. Praying that everything turns out perfectly! I actually am making these myself right now for a party at my work tomorrow. I am baking the shells tonight and also preparing the cream. I’ll put the cream in my tarts in the morning and top with the fruit before I head to work. Can’t wait to hear how it all goes for you. paula

      Reply

  70. Welcome home….we missed you! So glad you were able to visit the Holy Lands. We toured Israel in March of 2006 and it was breathtaking and overwhelming to see. Many goosebump moments. Thank you for sharing through your blog…I enjoy your insights, photos and recipes.

    Reply

  74. I’m making some mini tarts for a wedding I’m doing in November and I’ll be remembering this recipe! I know I’m making chocolate and pumpkin but I might I have to add a vanilla too! Your little tart crusts look perfext!

    Reply

  76. Hi Paula! Welcome home! Love these tarts, so pretty and being the shortbread lover that I am, I think I could eat at least 4 or 5 of these in one sitting! Thanks for the tip about where to get the tart shells, so cute!

    Reply