This is an easy recipe for pre-made mini tart shells or large pie shells. You can fill them with pretty much any sweet filling you like. The recipe makes 24 mini pie shells or 2 regular-sized pie or tart shells.
This tart shell recipe is a must-have recipe for anyone who likes baking and entertaining. Pre-made tart shells, which can be made in advance, are a perfect base for any kind of sweet filling.
How about trying white chocolate and raspberry tartlets, lemon curd tartlets, or mini fruit tarts? Really, these pastry cases are a wonderful base for all the fillings you can think of!
Not to mention that you will impress just about anyone when serving anything in a mini pastry case! Any kind of mini tart or pie looks beautiful!
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Pre-made tart shells
The recipe is great, but I had my doubts the first time I made it. I thought I would never manage to get the mini tart shells out of the muffin forms in one piece, but I did. They come out perfectly every time; they just slide out.
The recipe makes 24 mini pie shells baked in muffin tins or 2 regular pie or tart shells baked in pie/tart tins with a diameter from 8 inches/ 20 cm up to 10 inches/ 26 cm.
Tips for making mini pie shells
Measurements: The most important tip I can give you for any baking recipe is to use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). Cup measuring is very imprecise and, in some circumstances, can lead to disasters.
A kitchen scale is really cheap and will last for years and years. Depending on how often you use the scale, you probably won't even have to change the batteries more than once every year or two.
Butter: For a perfectly flaky and buttery pie crust, make sure that the butter is very cold when you add it to the rest of the ingredients. You can even chop it into small pieces, place the pieces on a plate, and put the plate in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Process the butter with the rest of the ingredients shortly. The butter should not be completely lost in the pastry; small pieces of it ensure that the pastry is flaky.
Kneading: When you turn the pastry onto the working surface, make sure you knead it very shortly, just enough to bring the dough together and form the pastry discs.
Temperature: When handling the pastry, your hands should be cold, and you should only use the fingertips, not the palms. To make sure that the hands are cold, hold them under cold water and dry them. Chill the pastry for at least 30 minutes.
Rolling: If you don't like or don't manage to roll the dough properly, you can press the pastry balls with cold hands to form a circle. Place the circle into one muffin mold and press to cover the bottom and walls of the mold.
How to make tart shells?
- Step #1: Place the flour, icing sugar, lemon zest, salt, and butter in the food processor. Process until you get a coarse mixture that resembles breadcrumbs; you should still have some small butter pieces visible.
- Step #2: Add the yolk and the water and mix shortly until the dough comes together.
- Step #3: Knead lightly on the working surface for just a few seconds to form a smooth disc.
- Step #4: Divide the pastry into four portions and wrap each piece in cling film. Refrigerate them until needed.
Step #5: Divide each dough portion into 6 parts and form 6 small balls. Roll each one into a circle, large enough to cover the bottom and the walls of the muffin tin. Repeat with another portion of pastry.
How to make a regular-sized pie shell?
I prefer to bake the pie shells in pie tins with a removable bottom; they make life easier.
- Step #1: Divide the shortcrust pastry in two, wrap it in plastic foil, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Step #2: Roll the dough into a circle large enough to cover the bottom and the walls of the pie tin you are using, so about 2 cm/ 0.8 inches larger than the bottom of the tin.
- Step #3: Carefully place it into the tin and trim the edges with a sharp knife.
Alternative to rolling
Form a thick roll of dough. Cut it lengthways into very thin slices, enough of them to cover the tin and its walls, and place the slices in the tin. Push them with the cold fingertips and press them to close the cuts. Trim the edges with a sharp knife.
How to blind-bake tart shells?
- Step #1: Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C. Line the greased muffin molds or large pie tins with removable bottoms with paper muffin cases or parchment paper.
- Steps #2,3: Fill with dry beans or rice and bake blind for about 20-25 minutes.
- Step #4: Remove the beans/rice and the paper. The cases should be golden-brown. If they are not there yet, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes without beans and paper.
- Step #5: Let the tart shells cool slightly, but remove them from the tin while they are still warm; they will just slide out of the form. Place on a wire rack to cool completely, then fill them.
If the filling has to be cooked as well, remove the paper and the beans, fill the shells, and continue cooking according to the recipe's instructions.
Make the pastry in advance
You can make the pastry in advance and refrigerate it for up to one week or freeze it for up to one month. I had it frozen for longer; it was still great. Wrap it in cling film and then in foil or place it in a freezing bag or airtight container.
How to Make Tart Shells
Equipment
- 2 Muffin tins or 2 pie tins (9-10 inches/ 24-26 cm)
- 24 Paper muffin cases or parchment paper
- Dried beans or rice for blind-baking
Ingredients
- 330 g all-purpose flour 2¾ cups/ 11.5 oz
- 100 g icing sugar 1 cup/ 3.5 oz
- zest ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
- 180 g unsalted butter cold, ¾ cup/ 6.5 oz
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- extra butter for brushing the tins
Instructions
Pastry:
- The recipe makes 24 mini pie shells or 2 large pie shells.
- Dough: Place the flour, icing sugar, lemon zest, salt, and butter in the food processor and process until you get a coarse mixture that resembles breadcrumbs; you should still have some small butter pieces visible. Add the yolk and the water and mix shortly until the dough comes together.330 g all-purpose flour/ 2¾ cups + 100 g icing sugar/ 1 cup + zest ½ lemon + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + 180 g unsalted butter/¾ cup + 1 egg yolk + 2 tablespoons cold water
- Rest: Turn the pastry onto the working surface and knead lightly for just a few seconds to form a smooth disc. Divide the pastry into four portions, wrap each piece in plastic foil, and refrigerate until needed. It will keep for a week in the fridge and a month in the freezer.
- Tin: Brush the muffin tin with melted butter, place it in the fridge, and leave to set for about 30 minutes.extra butter
- Roll: Dust the working surface with very little flour. Take one portion of the wrapped pastry out of the fridge and divide it into 6 parts. Form 6 small balls and roll each one into a circle, about 2-3 mm thick and large enough to cover the bottom and the walls of the muffin tin. Repeat with another portion of pastry.
- You can bake two batches of the pastry in one 12-mold muffin tin. Then, either bake in two batches in two muffin tins or refrigerate or freeze the remaining pastry for another occasion.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C.
- Blind bake: Line each muffin mold with a paper muffin case, fill with dry beans or rice, and bake blind for about 25 minutes. Remove the beans/rice and the paper. The cases should be golden-brown. If they are not so yet, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes without beans and paper.
- Cool: Let the mini muffin shells cool slightly, but remove them from the muffin tin while still warm; they will slide out of the form. Place on a wire rack to cool completely, then fill.
Large pastry cases:
- The pastry is enough for 2 pie shells of about 9-10 inches/ 24-26 cm.
- Roll dough: Grease a loose-based cake tin with melted butter and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into a circle large enough to cover the bottom and the tin walls, press it lightly in the tin, and trim the edges.
- Alternative to rolling the pastry: Form a thick roll of dough (which should be cold, just out of the fridge), cut it lengthways into thin slices, enough of them to cover the tin and its edges, place the pieces in the tin, push them with your fingers, and press them to close the cuts. Trim the edges with a sharp knife.
Bake the large pie shells:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/ 150°C.
- Blind bake: Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit the tin, place it on top of the pie, and fill it with dry beans or rice. Bake blind for about 20 -30 minutes until golden brown. Remove the beans and the paper and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes if the shell doesn't have the right color yet. Let cool and fill.
- Filling: If the filling has to be cooked as well, remove the paper and beans, fill the shells and continue cooking according to the recipe's instructions.
Notes
- Always use a digital kitchen scale when baking (the Amazon link opens in a new tab); cup measuring is very imprecise.
Yari says
Thank you for the recipe!
Can the baked Shells be frozen?
Adina says
Hi. Yes, you can. Wrap them well individually and place them in containers so that they don't break. They will keep for about 3 months.