Boston Creme Mini Tarts
Mini tart shells filled with vanilla pastry creme, topped with chocolate ganache and whipped cream — a bakery favorite made at home, shortcut or from scratch.
- Prep Time
- 45 min
- Cook Time
- 15 min
- Total Time
- 1 hr
- Servings
- 24 mini tarts
Bakery counters are basically a black hole for me, and mini tarts are one of the main culprits. When I came across Boston Creme Mini Tarts one day — vanilla pastry creme in a tiny shell, topped with chocolate ganache and whipped topping — I was completely gone. Unfortunately, they'd been made specifically for a private order and weren't for sale, so I went home to make my own.
There's a shortcut route using store-bought shells and instant pudding that gets you most of the way there in a fraction of the time. But after making a tart shell completely from scratch in culinary school, I got hooked on that buttery, made-from-scratch flavor — it takes longer, but it's worth cutting into your Facebook-scrolling time for.
Ingredients
Shortcut Version — Imitation Pastry Creme
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 24 pre-made mini tart shells (or mini phyllo shells)
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Whipped Topping
- frozen whipped topping, thawed
From-Scratch Version — Sweet Tartlet Shells
- 2 1/4 sticks cold unsalted butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons ice water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
From-Scratch Pastry Creme
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
From-Scratch Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- 1Shortcut version: whisk together the milk, vanilla, and pudding mix, cover, and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Stir in the whipped topping and refrigerate until ready to use.
- 2For the chocolate ganache, bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour it over the chocolate chips in a bowl and whisk until melted.
- 3From-scratch tart shells: cut the cold butter into small chunks and chill. Whisk together the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a large bowl or food processor, then cut in the cold butter until it resembles a coarse meal.
- 4Whisk the egg yolks, ice water, and vanilla together and add to the flour mixture, tossing or pulsing until incorporated.
- 5Form the dough into a ball, divide into 2 pieces, flatten into disks, wrap separately, and chill at least 1 hour (up to 1 week).
- 6Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Form one dough disk into twenty-four 1-inch balls and press into a mini muffin pan, keeping the second disk chilled for later. Prick the bottoms with a wooden pick and chill 15 minutes, until firm.
- 7Bake the shells for 12 minutes, or until golden, then cool in the pan on a rack.
- 8From-scratch pastry creme: stir together the milk and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- 9Whisk the egg yolks and egg together in a bowl. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch, then whisk into the egg mixture until smooth.
- 10When the milk boils, drizzle 1/2 cup into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly.
- 11Return everything to the saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
- 12Pour into a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until chilled.
- 13For the whipped cream, whip the heavy cream until nearly stiff, then beat in the vanilla and sugar until stiff peaks form — don't overbeat.
- 14To assemble, pipe the pastry creme into the cooled tart shells, leaving room for the ganache on top. Top with chocolate ganache and a dollop of whipped cream.
Tips
- The from-scratch tart shells take more time but have a buttery, flaky quality that's worth the extra effort if you have it.
Storage & Reheating
The shortcut version uses store-bought mini tart shells (or mini phyllo shells from the freezer aisle) and instant pudding — much faster, and still delicious.
