Description
This Sweet Tart Crust recipe provides a perfectly buttery, tender, and slightly sweet base ideal for a variety of fruit tarts, custard tarts, or other pastry desserts. Made from simple ingredients like all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, butter, and egg, this crust is easy to prepare and bake, delivering a crisp and golden finish that complements your favorite sweet fillings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180 g / 6.3 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (55 g / 2 oz) powdered sugar (or ¼ cup granulated sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick / 115 g) cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, and salt to evenly distribute the dry ingredients.
- Cut in Butter: Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, ensuring small clumps remain for flakiness.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Whisk the egg and vanilla extract together until smooth, then pour into the flour and butter mixture.
- Mix Dough: Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until the dough just comes together into a smooth ball. Avoid overmixing to keep the crust tender.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or cover it and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up and make it easier to roll out.
- Roll Out Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to fit your tart pan, carefully transferring it to line the pan evenly.
- Trim and Bake: Trim any excess dough hanging over the edges, then bake the crust in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- Using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar results in a more tender crust.
- Keep the butter cold for the best flaky texture.
- The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to one month.
- If your tart pan has a removable bottom, it makes transferring the tart easier after baking.
- For a blind bake, consider adding pie weights to prevent puffing in the center.
