Sometimes, a luscious strawberry dessert is needed, and today’s recipe for Mini Strawberry Tarts is so easy to make and is filled with an easy homemade strawberry curd. Top these tarts with a dollop of whipped cream and a sliced strawberry for a pretty and delicious summertime treat.
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My daughter and I recently hosted a tea party and wanted a small fruit dessert that could be easily made, but most of all easily eaten. Making these tarts bite-sized made a great dessert for our guests to pick up from the trays.
These berry tarts are perfect for dinner parties and buffets, no slicing is required and the guests can help themselves.
Set these tarts out on a large platter and add pretty whole strawberries too for a colorful presentation, your guests will love them.
And, when cranberries are in season try this Cranberry Curd Tart for a sweet and tart dessert.
Freshly picked, sweet, red, and ripe strawberries
Check out this post on How To Keep Strawberries Fresh so your berries will last a week or more.
If you like making fruit curds, try this refreshing Grapefruit Curd that tastes great on your morning scones or on top of fruit.
You can even make Apple Curd for a creamy fruit spread.
Tart ingredients
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Strawberries
- Cornstarch
- Heavy Whipping Cream
How to make mini tart shells
The dough for these tarts is easy to make and rolls out nice and firm.
Step 1. Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add cold, cubed butter to the mixture and with a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas.
Step 2. Beat the egg and add to the flour mixture and mix until the dough holds together in moist clumps.
Step 3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a ball.
Step 4. Roll the dough to a 1/8″ thickness.
Step 5. To make the tart shell you simply cut out dough circles with a 2 1/2″ round cutter and press the dough circles inside a 12-cup muffin pan. This technique creates nice-sized tart shells that are perfect for holding the strawberry curd. This dough also makes an 8″ tart if you want a larger tart.
Step 6. Bake the tart crusts for 20 minutes in a 300-degree F. oven to a golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan. After about 15 minutes you can pop them out of the pan.
Use these tart shells for other desserts
- Fill will pastry cream and top with fresh fruit
- Any type of pudding will work and top with whipped cream – chocolate would be delicious
- Fill with warmed canned fruit
- Add a scoop of ice cream
- Layer with cream cheese and fresh fruits
How to make strawberry curd recipe
I like using the riper strawberries to make the strawberry curd since they have more flavor and juice.
Step 1. Process the sliced and hulled strawberries to make a puree in a food processor.
Then the puree needs to be strained and the easiest way to do this is to put the puree in a fine-mesh strainer then take a soup ladle and stir and press the puree into a bowl. This works like a charm.
Step 2. Add the sugar and cornstarch to a medium-sized saucepan and stir, then stir in the egg yolk.
Step 3. Whisk in the strawberry puree and bring the mixture to a boil, then cook over medium heat until thickened.
Step 4. Remove from the heat in stir in room temperature butter until melted.
Step 5. Pour the curd into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill until firm.
Step 6. When you are ready just spoon the strawberry curd into the tart shells.
The strawberry curd does not get ultra-thick but is thick enough to fill the tart shells, just don’t overfill. And, yes, once you cook the puree the color changes.
Step 7. Top the tarts with whipped cream and a sliced strawberry. Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream to make a pretty rosette on top of the tartlets, or you can drop a dollop of the whipping cream on top with a spoon.
Step back and look at your creation then go ahead and try one. You must make sure they are ok to serve your guests, right?
“Sometimes a luscious strawberry dessert is needed…”
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Here are my recommendations for your baking needs.
This recipe needs a 12-cup muffin pan which is good for all kinds of desserts. A fine mesh strainer is a kitchen must-have item to strain juices and broths and removing seeds.
More strawberry desserts
- No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes are a simple dessert to serve with fresh summer berries.
- Bake a classic Strawberry Bakewell Tart for dessert. Everyone loves the tender cake with a sweet strawberry filling. This is a British classic.
- This Strawberry Chardonnay Gelee is such a refreshing dessert and has just the perfect strawberry flavor with a hint of wine.
- Looking for a good dessert to serve at a cookout? Everyone goes crazy when I serve these Strawberry Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
- When you have fresh strawberries make this small batch 3-Ingredient Strawberry Jam.
More To Make And Eat
Strawberry Curd Tarts
Equipment
Ingredients
Tart Dough
- 2 cups AP flour
- ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg beaten
Strawberry Curd
- 2 cups strawberries hulled and sliced- This is about 1 pound of berries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
Whipped Cream
- ½ cup whipping cream
Instructions
Tart Dough
- In a large bowl add the flour and sugar, stir to combine. Add the cubed cold butter and cut into the flour with two knives until the butter is the size of small peas. small
- Stir in the beaten egg with a fork until the mixture holds together.
- Turn the dough out on a floured board pressing the dough together to form a ball. Roll the dough out to 1/8" thickness, then using a 2 1/2" dough cutter, make dough circles that fit inside a muffin tin. You want the tart shells to be shallow.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove tarts shells from pan to cool.
Strawberry Curd
- In a food processor puree the strawberries then pour the pureed strawberry into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Stir the mixture with a soup ladle to remove the seeds. Set the puree aside.
- Add the sugar and cornstarch to a medium saucepan, stir to combine
- Add the egg yolks to the sugar mixture and mix until smooth and combine.
- Whisk in the strawberry puree and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high, then reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for about five minutes until thickened, whisking constantly
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter, stir until melted.
- Pour the strawberry curd into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm.
Whipped Cream
- Pour the whipping cream into a bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
Completing the Tarts
- Spoon the strawberry curd into the tart shells then top with a dollop of whipped cream. Optional ~ garnish with sliced strawberries.
- Keep tarts refrigerated.
Notes
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Nutrition
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Hello there, I’m Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
This looks so delicious! Will the strawberry curd hold up when the tart is cut or would it ooze out at room temperature? I was also thinking about layering it on top of lemon curd for a strawberry-lemonade type tart.
The strawberry curd does not set up as firm as lemon curd does. When cutting and eating these tarts the curd does ooze from the tart shell a little bit.
Should the butter be cold or room temperature?
I’m sorry I should have clarified, I meant to ask is the butter for the tart part supposed to be cold or room temperature?
Hi Meghan, the butter for the tart dough should be cold and cut into cubes. I will update the recipe. I appreciate you asking.
The curd calls for butter but doesn’t say exactly when to add it. I’m assuming it’s when it’s removed from the heat and before it’s strained?
What an important step to leave out and thank you for letting me know. I fixed the recipe and you are correct to add the butter after you heat the puree.
I just made this so I could make those cute tart shells, they are the perfect size for bite-size tarts and you can put all kinds of fillings in them. Plus, they were so easy to make. I decided to try the strawberry curd and so glad I did, it was delicious.
Am I missing where you talk about how many eggs to use? Thank you!
This recipe takes two egg yolks, a very important ingredient.
I think the question was referring to how many eggs to add to the dough. They aren’t listed in that set of ingredients. Thanks!
Thanks for pointing this out, I updated the recipe to add one beaten egg to the flour-butter mixter.
They look absolutely divine! And I really love the thought of a strawberry curd as a dessert. It makes a nice change from lemon. I’ll bet they’re extremely popular when served!
I love everything about these!! The strawberry curd and the individual pieces are both such good ideas!
These are beautiful. Adding this to must try as I am a major fan of strawberries and tart.
These tarts are adorable! I love love love love how beautiful and vibrant they look. I can taste the strawberries just looking at them. Can’t wait to try it!
These are so pretty. I just realized I have strawberries. This recipe would be perfect way to use them up. I love that I have all the ingredients to make this!
How cute are these strawberry curd tarts?! I need to have a tea party just so I can make these for my guest.