These easy Gluten-Free Tartlet Shells are flaky, buttery, and made with just six ingredients in a mini muffin pan. Add any of your favorite fillings and garnishes to these gluten-free mini tarts. They are the perfect bite-sized appetizer for parties!
There are many appetizer recipes that call for pre-made tart shells or phyllo shells, and finding gluten-free options has always been a challenge, until now. Similar to pie crust, these gluten-free mini tartlet shells have a buttery flaky texture. Add your favorite fillings and garnishes.
I love using this recipe for my Blackberry Brie Tartlets! They pair lovely with my Bacon Wrapped Dates and look great assembled on charcuterie boards.
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Ingredients
- Gluten-Free Flour: My favorite brand of gluten-free flour is Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Butter: The key to getting a flaky tart crust is to add really cold butter to the flour, straight from the freezer. Dairy-free butter can be substituted if needed.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream gives the crust a tender and flaky texture. For a dairy-free option, you can use dairy-free sour cream or dairy-free yogurt
- Baking Powder: A small amount of baking powder gives the tartlet shells just enough rise.
- Salt: Salt helps bring out the flavor in the tartlets.
- Water: Ice cold water will also help to tenderize the dough and bind the ingredients together.
Making The Dough
This recipe uses a food processor, but you can also use a bowl and pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour.
In a large bowl or food processor, add the cold diced butter, gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse for around 10-15 seconds, or until the butter chunks form into pea-sized pieces.
Add the sour cream and 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water to the food processor. Pulse for another 8 seconds until the pastry becomes small coarse crumbles.
(The pastry crumbles will be slightly dry, do not be tempted to add more water.) Pinch a piece of dough between your fingers and if it sticks together, it’s done.
Transfer the dough to a clean work surface, and with clean hands, gather it together into a ball.
This will take a few minutes to form. Resist the urge to knead the dough.
Flaten the dough into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Rolling Out The Dough
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a mini muffin pan and set the pan aside.
After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough on top of a piece of lightly floured piece of parchment paper. This will allow for an easy transfer. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top of the dough, and carefully roll out the pastry to about ¼ - inch thick.
Remove the top layer or parchment paper.
Using a 2.5-inch linzer cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out approximately 28 circles. You may have more or less depending on the thickness of your pastry.
You will need to roll out the dough 2-3 times for all 28 circles. Lift each piece of pastry with a spatula and transfer the circles to the well-greased mini muffin pan.
Baking The Tart Shells
Using the tips of your fingers, gently work each piece of pastry into the individual mini muffin tin slots.
Bake the shells for 10 minutes.
Remove the tartlets from the oven. They will be slightly puffed and raised, but within a few minutes, the pastry will settle. You can also use the back of a knife to gently push down the middle.
Let the tart shells sit in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them.
Equipment
In order to get that crumbly pastry texture, I use my Ninja Food Processor. If you do not have a food processor you can always use a large bowl, and cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender.
Storage
The tartlet shells are best served the same day they are made, in order to maintain a flaky, crispy texture.
Pressed for time? You can make the dough 1 day in advance and store it in the refrigerator until ready for use.
You can also cut out the tartlet dough circles and add them to the mini muffin pan 1 day prior to use. Just make sure they are tightly wrapped and sealed in the refrigerator, to avoid any air getting to the pastry. Remove the shells from the refrigerator and bake accordingly when ready.
FAQ
Prebaking is advised to ensure the final product is not soggy. It also prevents the shells from being undercooked and the filling overbaked.
To get flaky, crispy tart shells, it is advised to make the shells on the same day of use. You also want to avoid overhandling the dough when making the pastry and use very cold butter, straight from the freezer.
You can make the dough 1 day prior, but these tartlet shells are best served fresh, the same day they are baked.
It is very difficult to find and often lacks texture and flavor depending on the brand. There is a brand called Schar that offers gluten-free puff pastry, but it is mostly sold in the UK.
Tart shell fillings are unlimited with potential. I love adding baked brie, jam, nuts, fruit, and herbs.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Tartlet Shells (mini tart shells)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, chilled Chop into cubes and freeze for 15 minutes, prior to use.
- 1¼ cup (170 grams ) Gluten-Free Flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup (60 grams) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
Making The Pastry
- In a large food processor, add the cold diced butter straight from the freezer (see note), gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse for around 10-15 seconds, or until the butter chunks form into pea-sized pieces throughout the flour.(See note if using a large bowl instead of a food processor.)
- Add the sour cream and 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water to the food processor. Pulse for another 8 seconds until the pastry becomes small coarse crumbles. (The pastry crumbles will be slightly dry, do not be tempted to add more water.) Pinch a piece of dough between your fingers and if it sticks together, it’s done.
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface, and with clean floured hands, gather the dough together, forming the pastry into a round ball. This will take a few minutes to form. Resist the urge to knead the dough. Flaten the dough into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a mini muffin pan. Set the pan aside.
Rolling The Pastry
- After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough on top of a piece of lightly floured piece of parchment paper, to allow for easy rolling and transfer of the pastry. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top of the dough, and carefully roll out the pastry to about ¼ - inch thick. Occasionally, remove the top piece of parchment paper from the dough, to rotate and lift the dough while rolling. This will help ensure the dough is not sticking to the bottom piece of parchment paper. If the pastry starts to crack, it may be too cold. Carefully push the dough back together and continue to roll out while lifting and rotating.
- Once the dough is rolled out to the desired thickness. Remove the top layer or parchment paper. Using a 2.5-inch linzer cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out 28 circles. You will need to roll out the dough 2-3 times for all 28 circles. Lift each piece of pastry with a spatula for easy transfer to the muffin tin. Then, using the tips of your fingers, gently push each piece of pastry into the individual mini muffin tin slots.
Bake The Mini Tart Shells
- Once all of the pastry is added to the mini muffin pan, bake the shells for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tartlets from the oven. They will be slightly puffed and raised, but within a few minutes, the pastry will settle. You can also use the back of a knife to gently push down the middle. Let the tart shells sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan.
- (If adding cheese to the tart shells, you can leave the shells in the pan and follow the recipe as directed.)
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