How to Make Tartlet Shells (Vegan)

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

• Delicate texture & buttery flavor. These tartlet shells have a crisp, cookie-like texture and rich butter flavor. You will never believe these are eggless, dairy-free, and vegan!
• Bakery quality at home. These tartlet shells capture the essence of Parisian bakeries! They look just like the ones you can find in bakeries and taste just as good, if not better!
• The perfect vehicle for all of your dessert needs. Whether you plan on filling the shells with vanilla custard and fresh fruits, chocolate ganache, or lemon curd, this recipe is a must-have. Plus, it can be baked as a larger tart as well!

📘 What Is Pâte Sablée

Pâte sablée is a classic French sweet shortcrust pastry prepared with flour, butter, and sugar. It has a crumbly and sandy texture that resembles shortbread cookies.

Pâte sablée is used to make all kinds of pastries, from fruit tarts to chocolate and lemon tarts. It also makes the base of many entremets.

🧈 Ingredient Notes

This sweet shortcrust pastry requires only 7 ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• Flour – Use all-purpose flour or pastry flour. Both yield great results.
• Cornstarch – The addition of cornstarch not only bends all of the ingredients together but also gives the shells a lighter texture.
• Almond flour – Almond flour brings a subtle nutty flavor and helps to create a richer texture.
• Butter – You can use store-bought butter or homemade vegan butter. Both work great. Make sure your butter is cold.
• Sugar – While you can use regular granulated sugar, I highly recommend powdered sugar. The texture and appearance of your tarts will be much better.
• Milk – Use your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk. If you don’t have milk on hand, cold water works too.
• Salt – To enhance the overall flavor. Omit if you are using salted butter.

🥣 How to Make It

While this recipe is easy, it requires patience and meticulousness.

Prepare the shortcrust pastry dough

First, start by preparing the dough:

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the flour, cornstarch, almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt to a bowl. Whisk until combined.
2. Sand the dough. Next, to get a sandy and crumbly texture, we will use a technique called “sablage”. To do so, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a fine sandy texture.
3. Form a dough. Once the texture resembles sand, add the cold milk and knead until it forms a dough. Do not over-knead and stop as soon as the dough comes together.

Note: you can sand the dough with your hands or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Flatten the dough

Once the dough is ready:

1. Transfer to a working surface. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and top with another layer of parchment paper. The dough is sticky and will stick to the rolling pin if you don’t sandwich it between parchment papers.
2. Flatten. Flatten the dough to a 1/8-inch thickness (about 4mm) using a rolling pin. The thickness is up to you and will affect the baking time.
3. Refrigerate. Once the dough is flattened, transfer it to a baking sheet and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours.

Shape the tartlets

The fun can now begin: shaping the tartlets! To do so:

1. Grease tart rings. Lightly grease 3-inch (8cm) perforated tart rings with butter. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Cut out circles. Using one of the tart rings, cut out 8 circles of dough. Using a thin spatula, transfer the circles into each tart ring.
3. Cut strips. Using a sharp knife, slice strips about 10 inches (25cm) long and 1 inch (2.5cm) thick. These strips will make the sides of each tartlet.
4. Press them together. Working with one at a time, transfer a strip of dough to one of the tart rings and press it to the sides. Use your fingers to slightly push the bottom of the sides to the dough circle (to seal it). Repeat with the remaining strips of dough.
5. Freeze. Transfer the baking sheet containing the tartlet shells to the freezer and freeze for at least 20 minutes.

Note: if the dough becomes too soft at any point, place it back in the freeze for 5-10 minutes. Also, be aware that you can re-roll the dough scraps if needed.

Bake

After chilling in the freeze, the tartlet shells are ready to be baked!

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
2. Trim the sides and poke the bottom. Using a sharp knife, trim the top of the sides. Poke several holes into the bottom of each tartlet using a fork. This will prevent the dough from puffing up.
3. Bake. Bake the shells for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown in the preheated oven.
4. Remove from the rings. Next, using an oven mitt, carefully remove each tartlet from the tart rings. Place the tartlet shells back on the baking sheet.
5. Finish baking. Finally, bake the tartlets for another 5 minutes or until evenly golden brown. Be aware that baking time will differ depending on the thickness of your dough and the type/brand of oven used.

🍓 Where to Use It

These tartlet shells are so versatile! You can use them to make:

• Chocolate tart: fill each tartlet with chocolate ganache for a decadent dessert!
• Fruit tarts: fill the tartlets with vegan vanilla pastry cream and top with fresh fruits like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.
• Lemon tart: Fill these with lemon curd for a delicate summer dessert!
• Use a base for other desserts: Be creative and use tartlet shells as a base for fancy entremets!

💬 FAQ

I hope you are going to love these mini tart shells! They are cute, crispy, and perfect for any single-serving dessert!

🥧 More Pastry Recipes

Perfect Vegan Pie Crust (2 Ways!)

Vegan Crème Anglaise (Custard Sauce)

How to Make Vegan Pastry Cream

Vegan Strawberry Tart (Or Tartlets!)

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