Bring a little festive color to your holiday dessert table with these Christmas Mini Tarts. Each one has a crisp, buttery pastry shell filled with smooth vanilla cream and topped with fresh berries, jewel-like pomegranate seeds, and a tiny sprig of rosemary. They’re sweet without feeling too heavy, and their small size makes them easy to serve at parties, family gatherings, or Christmas dinner.
The shells can be baked ahead of time, so you can finish the tarts when you’re ready to serve. Arrange them on a platter, add a light dusting of powdered sugar, and you have a cheerful homemade dessert that looks special without requiring complicated decorating.
Makes: 24 mini tarts
Prep time: 30 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 12–15 minutes
Ingredients
For the pastry shells
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1–2 tablespoons cold water
For the vanilla cream filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup cold heavy cream
For decorating
- Fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries
- Pomegranate seeds
- Small rosemary sprigs
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
How to Make Christmas Mini Tarts
- Prepare the pastry dough. Add the flour and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold butter and work it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Bring the dough together. Add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Mix gently until the dough begins to hold together. If it still seems dry and crumbly, add another teaspoon of water at a time. Stop as soon as the dough forms; adding too much water can make the pastry less tender.
- Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Chilling helps the butter firm up and makes the dough easier to roll and shape.
- Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about ⅛ inch thick.
- Shape the tart shells. Cut out 24 small circles, using a cutter slightly wider than the muffin-pan cups. Press each circle gently into a cup, shaping it into a little shell. Prick the bottom of each shell once or twice with a fork to help prevent puffing.
- Bake until lightly golden. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the shells cool in the pan for several minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. The shells need to be fully cool before you add the filling.
- Make the vanilla cream. Beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream gently into the cream cheese mixture until evenly combined.
- Fill the shells. Spoon the filling into the cooled tart shells, or transfer it to a piping bag and pipe it in for a neater finish. Fill each shell close to the top without overflowing.
- Add the Christmas decorations. Arrange raspberries or strawberry pieces over the filling. Sprinkle on pomegranate seeds for bright red color, then add a small rosemary sprig to each tart. Dust lightly with powdered sugar just before serving.
Helpful Tips
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter helps create tender, crisp pastry. If the dough becomes soft while you’re shaping the shells, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Cool the shells completely. Warm pastry can soften the filling, so give the shells time to cool before assembling.
- Pipe the filling for a polished look. A piping bag with a star tip makes the cream look especially pretty, but a small spoon works just as well.
- Decorate close to serving time. Fresh berries and rosemary look their best when added shortly before serving. Add the powdered sugar at the very end so it doesn’t dissolve into the topping.
- Make them your own. Try blueberries, blackberries, sliced kiwi, or a little orange zest in the filling. You can also use a mixture of red and green fruit for a more colorful holiday platter.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The pastry shells can be baked up to two days ahead. Once completely cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. The vanilla cream can be prepared a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Give it a gentle stir before filling the shells.
For the best texture, assemble the tarts a few hours before serving and keep them refrigerated. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two days. The pastry may soften slightly as it sits, but the tarts will still be delicious.
A Festive Dessert for Sharing
These Christmas Mini Tarts combine crisp pastry, creamy vanilla filling, and fresh, colorful toppings in a bite-sized holiday dessert. Set them out with cookies and other sweets, serve them after Christmas dinner, or arrange them on a platter for a holiday party. Their cheerful colors and delicate rosemary garnish make each one feel like a tiny Christmas treat.
