Ingredients (with notes)
- 8 tbsp (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
Many mini tart and shortbread tartlet recipes use a similar ratio of butter to flour and sugar, keeping the dough rich and easy to press into small molds. If using salted butter, omitting the extra salt matches the guidance from tart crust recipes that adjust for salted butter to avoid an overly salty base. Replacing a couple of tablespoons of flour with cornstarch for extra tenderness is a trick frequently seen in French-style sweet tart dough and shortbread cookies, giving a slightly more melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Step-by-step: dough, chilling, and baking
In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until the mixture is smooth and creamy, just as most shortbread and sweet tart crust recipes begin with a creaming step to incorporate air and dissolve sugar slightly. Mix in the salt, then add the flour and mix just until a soft dough forms; eggless tart crusts and press-in tart shell recipes consistently warn against overmixing at this stage to prevent toughening the dough.
Pinch off small portions of dough and press them evenly into mini tart molds or mini muffin tins, making sure the base is thin but covered and the sides are slightly reinforced—techniques that mirror how tartlet shell tutorials instruct bakers to create even thickness and sturdy edges. Smooth the surfaces and check for consistent thickness, since uneven dough can lead to underbaked patches or overly browned spots.
Chill the filled molds in the refrigerator for about 15–20 minutes; chilling is emphasized in most tart shell guides as crucial for preventing shrinkage and maintaining clean edges during baking. Bake the shells at 170°C / 340°F for 12–15 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden around the edges, which aligns with bake times and temperatures given for mini tart shells and shortbread-style tart bases of similar size.
Allow the shells to cool completely in the molds, because, as many tart and tartlet recipes note, they firm up significantly as they cool and are more fragile while warm. Once fully cool, gently remove them from their molds and they’re ready to fill.