Aren’t these just the cutest little bites ever?! I have made my version of a pastry tart before and, while they were super delicious, I thought I would try my hand at the mini version. I’ve seen so many of them at the store, and I think they are the cutest things ever! I mean, who doesn’t love mini desserts?
My brother is a huge lover of the breakfast pastry tarts, I am confident that in his 14 years on earth, he’s probably consumed at least a gazillion strawberry pastry tarts. With that number in mind, I figured I could surprise him with a homemade version! He was planning on spending the night, and I like to have a special dessert waiting for him!
Not only are these sweet treats super delicious, but they are so easy to make. Like when I say easy, I mean opening up a package, cutting some dough and popping them in the oven! So easy and so, so delicious!
Like in the store variety, you can totally switch up the fillings and/or the toppings. For right now, I have only made the strawberry ones, simply because those are my favorite. However, my sister requested the brown sugar and cinnamon flavor, so I’ll be working on a recipe for those within the next few weeks!
If you don’t want to make minis and want the regular-sized pastry, you might need more white chocolate to cover the tops, but this recipe is very adaptable to fit however big you make your pastries! I’ll talk about those in a later post!
Ingredients:
1 package of pie crust
1 jar of strawberry jam
1 egg
Two tablespoons of sugar
8 ounces of white chocolate
Sprinkles (optional but highly recommended)
First, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Next, roll out the pie crusts. I like to roll them out a little bit thinner than they come because I like to have a more even crust to jam ratio, but that is up to you on the thickness of the crust. Once your pie dough is to your desired thickness, cut them into rectangles. I suggest using a ruler to ensure that they are about 1 and half-inch squares since they’re mini and you want the top and bottom crusts to align easier. After all your pieces of dough are cut, crack an egg into a small dish, and whisk together with a splash of water. I suggest putting the jam into a small piping bag, so you can easily distribute the jam into the center of the pie squares.
Now that you have your pie cut, the jam ready (and in a piping bag), the egg wash ready, you are ready to begin assembling the pastry tarts! When you are putting the jam on the dough, remember that you need one crust for the top, and one crust for the bottom; therefore, you only want to put jam on half of the squares/rectangles you have cut. Be sure not to overfill the dough, or else the jam can ooze out while baking. They will still taste amazing, I promise, but the bottoms of the tart might burn from the high sugar content of the jam. I recommend putting a small little drop in the middle, maybe half a teaspoon amount. Keep in mind to leave some space around the edges of the crust, for crimping the edges down later.
When you begin to egg wash the edges, make sure to only do one tart at a time, otherwise, the egg wash will dry before you have time to crimp the edges. You can use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash, but I suggest using your finger, so you don’t get the egg wash all over the jam. Place the top crust over the bottom, and use a fork to crimp down the edges on all sides. Place the crimped pastries onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, and egg wash the tops. Sprinkle sugar lightly over the top to add a sweet crunch to the top of the pastries.
For these pastries, bake for about 10 minutes, checking after 8 minutes to make sure they don’t get too browned on the top. They should be puffed up, and golden brown on the top. If your oven runs hotter, make sure to check them early, so they don’t burn! No one wants a burnt pastry, although, I’d probably still eat them!
I purchased a large block of white almond bark, that came in a mold of about 8 blocks, so I only needed to chop up 2 blocks to cover the tops of my pastries. But this is the part where you can customize these to best suit your taste. If you’d like to have a little bit less of a coating, you can certainly add less. I melted my chopped white chocolate in the microwave, in thirty-second increments until smooth and silky. Using a half teaspoon, pour a small amount of white chocolate onto the mini pastries, then top with a few sprinkles. Make sure to add your sprinkles while the chocolate is still hot!
I love the look of these! I think they are so fun and joyful! This recipe is also super easy, it would be a great way to get your kiddos in the kitchen! They could help cut the crust, or sprinkle the sprinkles! I know they will definitely enjoy eating them!
-Holly Michelle
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