Mini-Muffin Tartlet Shells are the most adorable, lightly sweetened, and pleasantly crumbly shortbread crusts for your favorite tart fillings! A mini-muffin pan makes the perfect one or two bite finger food to serve at baby showers, book clubs, parties… or even solitary snack-time. And you don’t need a special tartlet pan! Just follow the steps…

The Process

The process of make Mini-Muffin Tartlet Shells is simple, but there are several steps. Learn more about each step below:

Getting Started

• Start by placing all ingredients in a food processor. The ingredients fit perfectly in my KitchenAid Food 3.5 Cup Chopper and come together into a beautiful dough ball in less than a minute! The dough ball shouldn’t be sticky – think Playdoh consistency.
• Mash the doughball into a disc and place it between two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll with a rolling pin until about 1/6 inch thick. A ruler can be helpful to get just the right thickness.
• Place the parchment covered, rolled dough on a flat surface in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Overnight is even fine. The dough needs time to cool enough that the butter hardens. This makes cutting and transferring the shells a snap.
• Remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and peel off the top layer of parchment. (Save the parchment though, because you’ll use it shortly.)
• Then cut out as many dough circles as possible with a small biscuit or cookie cutter. The cutter is preferably a little over 1.5 inches in diameter. A fluted edge cutter adds fun detail!
• Reroll and cut again until nearly all of the dough is used.
• Place a shell in each ungreased mini-muffin cup. The recipe will make between 24-28 shells. The number will vary by slight differences in the size of the cutter and thickness of the dough.
• Dock each shell with a fork. This allows air to move instead of bubbling up underneath.

Finishing Up

• Place mini-muffin pans in the freezer while cutting parchment in roughly 3 inch by 3 inch squares. Cut out the same number of squares as shells made. Crumple parchment squares. Crumpled parchment will fit much more easily into the mini-muffin pan than smooth parchment.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Remove mini-muffin pans from the freezer and place a parchment square over each shell. Fill parchment with baking beads or dried beans.
• Bake the shells for 10 minutes.
• Next remove shells from the oven. Remove parchment squares with baking beads or beans. Return to oven to bake for another 10-12 minutes. Watch the tartlets closely for the last few minutes and remove as they become golden brown.

Shortcuts and More Tips

• Parchment paper and baking beans or bead is not necessary to a yummy final product. However, the weight reduces shifting and bubbling as the shells bake. Basically, those steps create an ideal and uniform divot for your favorite tartlet filling. So, if you’re in a rush and taste if your aim, you can bake the naked shells, otherwise following the instructions above.
• Baking beads, pie weights, ceramic beans, etc are not necessary, but work great if you have them. Dried beans will do the same job and you probably already have them in your kitchen. I keep a container of “baking beans” that I use over and over for pies and tarts. Once baked, they will be too hard to eat, but perfect to use again and again as tartlet weights!
• Tartlet shells freeze wonderfully and thaw in a snap. Then, just fill and serve!
• Also, the recipe doubles easily. Double the recipe and put half in the freezer for a quick dessert later!

Then What?

So you’ve baked the perfect tartlet shells. Now what? Oh, the possibilities… Fill with Easy Peasy Lemon Curd and top with meringue and lemon meringue tartlet. Or try Banana Curd and whipped cream for a banana cream treat! So many options!