Posted on November 30 2017
Flaked almonds nestled on top of a soft cake-like almond flour filling encased in buttery and flakey shortcrust pastry is such a classic French bakery sweet treat. These mini Classic Berry Apricot Almond Tarts are so easy to make yet they are a decadent tea time treat or delightful dessert.
There is nothing better than a freshly baked sweet and nutty almond tart! Except for a freshly home-baked sweet and nutty APRICOT almond tart with blueberries and strawberries on top!
These tarts are made with homemade-from-scratch rich shortcrust pastry (which is a breeze to make, I promise, so simple!). A thin layer of tart apricot jam – every fruity dessert needs a balance of sweet and sour – then the soft cake-like almond filling goes in, topped with flaked almonds and baked to light golden gorgeousness!
The filling for these Classic Berry Apricot Almond Tarts is almond-y, soft, moist and just PERFECT in every way – texture and taste get 10/10!
If you like almond flavoured desserts – think marzipan, chocolate dipped almonds and and all things christmas – then you will ADORE these mini tarts!
You might also like How To Make The Perfect Christmas Cake, my Christmas Fruit Mince Pies With Light Pastry, my Rhubarb Apple Brown Butter Caramel Crumble, my Brown Butter Caramel Crumble Apple Pie, my Dairy & Sugar Free Almond Chocolate Truffles, The Best Chocolate Brownie Cake, my Stone Fruit Apple Date Brunch Cake and my Zesty Orange Honey Layer Cake.
When I was living in Zim, there was a cute little coffee shop that served the most amazing mini almond tarts! The pastry was thin and flakey, the filling soft and light and perfectly almond flavoured, and there was a slight tartness to each bite which is why I’m pretty sure there was a sneaky layer of apricot jam at the bottom!
I loved these sweet and nutty tarts so much, and I have not come across anything like them here in Durban, so I decided to try to recreate them myself for this holiday season!
Not to get too big for my boots or anything, but these Classic Berry Apricot Almond Tarts that I made with my own two hands in my very own little kitchen, they’re up there you guys…These little mini almond tarts are FIERCE. I’d even go so far as to say they are a tiny bit BETTER than the coffee shop almond tarts I loved so much.
That’s right, I’ll just be brave and say it, these homemade from scratch Classic Berry Apricot Almond Tarts are THE BEST!!!
They’re the greatest, and now I can make them whenever I like, and so can YOU. Awesomeness! (You, and the tarts, you’re both awesome).
How to make French inspired mini Classic Berry Apricot Almond Tarts?
- Whip up a batch of my rich shortcrust pastry and rest it in the fridge for 20 minutes
- Roll out the pastry and line your mini tart pans, bake until light golden
- Beat the filling with an electric mixer, pour into cooled mini crusts and top with flaked almonds
- Bake til light golden and gorgeous
- Cool, then top with glaze and berries of your choice (I love blueberries, strawberries and raspberries), serve alone or with whipped cream or ice cream.
You can make one large almond tart if you wish, it’s a bit less fiddly – good if you’re in a hurry. Another time saver is to use a store bought crust, it’s not as delicious but still really good. You can make these tarts ahead of time, bake them the day before, store them in the refrigerator overnight in an airtight container. Take them out a few hours before serving. Glaze and garnish, then serve!
Last little tip* – This shortcrust pastry recipe can be used for sweet or savoury (leave out the tbsp of sugar) tarts, pies and quiches, it’s SO good either way! Once formed into a ball, it can be frozen and defrosted when needed.
These mini almond tarts are so amazingly delicious, have I convinced you to try them very soon?!
You will not regret it I can assure you. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Classic French mini Berry Apricot Almond Tarts recipe - easy to make with ground almonds and shortcrust pastry for a tea time treat or with a little cream or ice cream, a delicious dessert!
- FOR THE RICH SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
- 225 g (8 oz or 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 110 g (4 oz or 1 cup) butter, cold
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp almond essence
- 4 tsp ice cold water
- FOR THE ALMOND FILLING:
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) soft butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cake flour
- 1 tsp almond essence
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp apricot jam , heated in the microwave for 10 seconds
- 1/2 cup raw flaked almonds
- FOR THE GLAZE:
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- strawberries, blueberries or raspberries , for garnish
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TO MAKE THE RICH SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
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Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). You will need 6 mini tart pans or 1 x 23cm (9 inch) tart pan.
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In a large mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour with your hands until you have what resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar, almond essence and egg yolk.
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Now add the ice water and mix until the pastry comes together and can be formed into a ball. You don’t want it too wet or too dry, so add extra flour or water accordingly.
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Place the ball of pastry into a sealable plastic bag and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Slice the pastry into 6 equal pieces and roll the pastry pieces out on a clean, floured surface. You want them to be about 2mm thick.
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Line your mini tart pans, prick all over with a fork, then freeze the crusts for 15 minutes. Bake the crusts for 10 - 12 minutes until light golden. Remove from the oven and cool while you make the filling.
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TO MAKE THE ALMOND FILLING:
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Beat together the butter, salt, sugar, flour, and essences with an electric mixer.
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Beat in the eggs, then add the almond flour, stirring just to combine. Spread the bases of the crusts with a thin layer of apricot jam, then spread the almond filling into the crusts and top with a scattering of flaked almonds.
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Bake the tarts for 15 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and cool in the pans.
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TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
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Stir together the sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled, turned out tarts, and top with fresh blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.
To make one large tart simply line a 23cm (9 inch) fluted tart pan with the pastry. Prick all over with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes. Bake the crust for 18 to 22 minutes, spread with apricot jam, add the filling, then bake the filled tart for another 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and set.
If you have pastry leftover, place it in a ziplock bag and freeze it for another baking day!
