These mini shortbread cookie tart shells make the perfect base for a variety of fillings. They’re buttery, flakey, and so easy to make! Make fruit tarts, pumpkin or apple pie tarts, chocolate ganache tarts, anything you can think of.
I love making cookies, but my favorite desserts are actually pies, galettes, and tarts. And when you make these little tartlets using a cookie for the shell, you get the best of both worlds, a cookie shell with pie filling!
Shortbread Tart Shell Recipes
You can use any of my shortbread sugar cookie recipes to make tart shells. I have 31 shortbread sugar cookie recipes that you can mix and match with your favorite tart filling.
You can make a candy cane ganache tart. My lemon rosemary cookie recipe would be amazing as base for apple pie tarts. Use cookie butter cookies for pumpkin pie tarts. The possibilities are endless!
Shortbread Sugar Cookie Recipes
Tart Pans
I have a ton of mini tart pans that I’ve purchased over the years, but these tart pans are my absolute favorite. They make pretty little tartlets, don’t rust, they’re dishwasher safe, the perfect size for 2-3 bite tartlets, and best of all, the tarts pop right out of them and do not stick.
You can also use a muffin tin if you already have that on hand and don’t want to purchase new bakeware.
Step 1:
- Make your cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Gently knead cookie dough just until pliable, but do not overwork, or tartlet shells will be tough and will not keep their shape when baked.
- Roll out cookie dough, using flour, to ¼″ thick.
Rolling out your cookie dough with flour will not only prevent your dough from sticking to your rolling pin and counter, it will also keep your tarts from sticking to the tart pans after baking.
Step 2:
- Fill tart shells with dough, and gently press dough against sides and bottom.
- You can fill the pans by placing a pan under the rolled out dough and pressing dough into the pan, or you can cut out 3″ circles of dough.
- You can use a knife to cut off excess dough, but I just gently use the palm of my hand.
If you don’t have a 3″ round cookie cutter, most glasses/tumblers have a ~3″ rim that you can use to cut out the circles.
If your cookie dough has a rip or hole, you can patch it with a scrap of dough.
Step 3:
- Use a tart tamper, shot glass, or condiment ramekin to press dough flat into bottom of tart pans.
I probably own a dozen different tart tampers, but I always end up using these little condiment ramekins, because they’re the perfect shape and size.
- Gently press dough so that it rises about ⅛″ above the top of the tart pan.
All of my shortbread sugar cookie recipes are no spread, but the sides of the shells will still sink down a little as they bake. Pressing the dough above the height of the tart pans will prevent the sides of the tart shells from sinking down too low.
Step 4:
- Freeze filled tart pans before baking!
Freezing shells for 10-20 minutes before baking will prevent your dough from shrinking down too much during baking. Freeze until they feel firm to the touch.
Step 5:
- If making tarts that will be filled with un-baked filling (curd, pudding or ganache), fully bake shells for 20-25 minutes, until edges begin to darken in color.
- If making tarts with baked filling (apple or pumpkin pie filling), only par-bake shells for 12-14 minutes.
- Immediately after removing shells from oven, whether fully or par-baked, use your tart tamper, shot glass, or condiment ramekin to tamp down inside of tart shell while still hot.
Shortbread Sugar Cookie Tartlet Shells
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- spatula
- whisk
- mixing bowls
- paring knife
- cling wrap
- cookie sheet
- large knife
- tart tamper, shot glass, or condiment ramekin
- 3" diameter round cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract or extract of your choice
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients (flour and cornstarch) together and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars with paddle attachment, on medium-low speed, until fluffy and pale in color (about 5 minutes).
- Add egg and extract(s) and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the paddle with a spatula, and then continue to mix on low speed for another 30 seconds to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients, all at once, and mix on low speed just until dough starts to come together and no dry bits remain. Do not overmix.
- Turn dough out onto cling wrap, tightly wrap, and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
- Knead, roll out ¼" thick using flour, cut out 3" circles of cookie dough, and gently press dough circles into sides and bottoms of tart pans.
- Use a tart tamper, shot glass, or condiment ramekin to press dough flat into bottom of tart pans. Remove excess dough from tart pans with knife or by gently pressing with the palm of your hand.
- Gently press dough against sides of tart pans so that it rises about ⅛" above the top of the tart pan.
- Freeze filled tart pans until dough is firm before baking.
- Bake at 350°F on sheet pan.
- For par-baked shells, bake for 12-14 minutes. For fully baked shells, bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges begin to darken in color.
- Immediately after removing shells from oven, whether fully or par-baked, use your tart tamper, shot glass, or condiment ramekin to tamp down inside of tart shell while still hot.
- Leave par-baked shells in tart pans if filling needs to be further baked. Once cool enough to handle, remove fully baked shells from pans.
Video
Notes
- Pressing the dough above the height of the tart pans will prevent the sides of the tart shells from sinking down too low during baking.
- Freezing shells for 10-20 minutes before baking will prevent your dough from shrinking down too much during baking. Freeze until they feel firm to the touch.
- Tamping down inside of shells after baking will allow more room for filling.
- Fully baked shells will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a month, or frozen for 3 months.
HI – I was wondering what weight you use for measuring flour – Some folks use 5 oz. (America Test Kitchen) per cup, and some use 4.25 oz. (King Arthur Flour).
Great question! When it comes to certain recipes, say French macarons, I absolutely weigh out my ingredients to the exact gram.
This recipe, that is for tart shells/decorated cookies, I have quite literally eyeballed measurements in a rush, and the dough still came out perfect. And I have tested weighing out measurements of ingredients, but they tend to vary by brand, so it gets tricky.
I know in other countries, weighing ingredients is standard. In the US, most of my friends don’t own a kitchen scale, but they do own measuring cups and spoons.
Hi, if I want to put store bought jam in tartlet, should I par bake?What would be the baking time after par bake with jam? Thank you, Cheryl
While I haven’t made jam tartlets myself, I did just read over a few recipes I found online. It looks like all of them suggest not par baking the shells first. I would suggest filling your un-baked shells with a couple teaspoons of jam/jelly, and baking for 15-20 minutes, until the shells begin to golden. And always be careful when handling them straight out of the oven, as the jam will be very hot and liquidy.
If you are making these for a special event, I’d advise doing a little test batch first. Good luck!