Cream cheese adds a deliciously rich flavor to these tart shells.
I followed the recipe and added the fruit prior to baking and found that the crust stayed soggy. So I baked the shells without the filling for the 20 minutes, added the filling and baked an additional 3 minutes. The crust was crispier and did not have the under-cooked dough flavor as before. I would make this again.
Read More The recipe didn't work for me, they were very easy to make but quite greasy and tasteless
Read MoreI followed the recipe and added the fruit prior to baking and found that the crust stayed soggy. So I baked the shells without the filling for the 20 minutes, added the filling and baked an additional 3 minutes. The crust was crispier and did not have the under-cooked dough flavor as before. I would make this again.
Quick, easy tender and flakey! I doubled the recipe, sort of (8 oz cream cheese, 3/4 c marg and 2 1/2 cups flour) and it made enough to use filling for 1 blueberry pie. Also, I rolled and cut using a 2 1/4" cutter as I found those results more satisfactory (more filling, less dough and more "even" finished product!) I will use again and again!
I used this recipe for a pumpkin pie crust and could not believe how easy and good it was....this is only my 2nd time making a pie crust...it has always intimidated me but have wanted to find a recipe with out hydroginated oils in it(shortening....so bad for you).I know butter and cream cheese are not really good for us but much better than taking in that hydrogenated stuff...This crust was unbelievably easy and flakey better than any other crust I have had. I did prebake the crust about 15-20 just till golden then added the filling and cooked another 45min and the crust did not burn like other pie crusts have for me in the past...I really can not say enough good things about this recipe....Thankyou!
Wonderful! I baked the tart shells for about 15 minutes..your oven will vary..and cooled. Once they were cooled, I filled each one with homeade chicken salad and served at a Bridal Luncheon. The bride now wants these added to her wedding reception. Thanks Glenda for such an easy and versatile recipe!
Oh my these were unbelievable. I needed to make mini quiches and I didn't want to risk using my own regular quiche crust recipe and have it not work out in the mini form so I found this - it worked out really well and was much more delicious. It tastes how I would imagine catered mini quiche crusts would taste. I used a regular muffin tin and it made a dozen for me. Sure it isn't very healthy but hey if you don't eat all of them then you're good to go!
I made these shells in a mini-muffin tin with the Mini Caramel Cookie Tarts filling (also found in AllRecipes.com) and they were DEVOURED! The shells are incredibly flaky, tasty and how much easier could they be?? I'd give it 10 stars if I could.
Okay, these really are amazing! This recipe seems almost too simple to work, but it does and the pastry comes out flaky and crispy (if a bit greasy). I used both mini-muffin tins and regular size and both were great. I found it took about 15-25 minutes to bake the unfilled shells.
Nice, forgiving pie dough. I found the full fat cream cheese created too greasy a tart so I used a lower fat cream cheese.(But never non-fat creese cheese which is awful,I think)They make wonderful mini quiches. Don't worry if the egg mixture overflows or your little tarts are not perfect, they come out looking charming!One suggestion, the non-stick mini tart pans are a dream to use. Invest in one of those. The egg mixture is 1 egg to every half cup of milk (or half and half). A generous grating of nutmeg, paired with swiss cheese,crumbled bacon and snipped chives,white pepper and salt to taste earned me rave reviews at the brunch. Oh, almost forgot! Bake the tart shells off for 5 mins at 400, add your filling and then turn down to 350 for 15 mins or so. By the way word to the wise... Since I published this recipe on 2009 I realized that my tarts were sticking... annoying to pry out when I was in a hurry. Keep the lower fat cream cheese. Spray the non stick pans lightly.
This is the only recipe I'll use now for tart shells. I've even used it for a full pie, and it turned out excellent. I cannot say enough good things about this recipe. It is incredibly simple and really delicious!
O M G talk about good, and so easy if you can't put 3 ingredients together give it up. I doubled the recipe and I used the whole pkg of cream cheese I thought if 6 oz will be good than 8 will be even better. I made them into pumpkin tarts, next time I think I will add some sugar and spice to the shells and see how that taste.Yummmmmmmmmmmy.
I made these in regular muffin pans since I don't have a mini-muffin pan. They turned out delicious! I filled them with blueberry pie filling with cut up strawberries. MMMM! So easy that my 5 and 2 year old sons helped me! The only question I have is: How long are you supposed to bake them??? I baked mine for almost 45 mins and I don't think they were completely done.
These are so easy and yummy! I added 2 tbsp. of sugar because I wanted shell a little sweeter. I also baked 13-15 minutes, just until very lightly browned on edges. Then I removed from oven and let finish cooking and cooling in pan. Perfect!
I doubled the recipe to make full sized tarts. I sprinkled the tarts with raw sugar before baking. Baked, and then filled with the Banana Cream Pie recipe from this site. EXCELLENT taste. I found it easiest to squish the dough into a foot long roll and wrap in saran wrap and chill. Then it was easy to cut it into 12 slices and each of those slices in half.
To divide dough equally into 24 pieces I like to divide the dough in half then divide each half into quarters. Then divide each quarter into 3 equal parts and you will have 24 pieces.
These made perfect shells for my mini quiches (used Basic Quiche by Shelley on this site). I doubled the recipe and they came out so professional looking. Can't believe how simple the recipe is! I'm going to make a lot of mini tarts this holiday season!
I agree with some of the previous reviewers that said the dough was a bit greasy. I made mini tart shells for chocolate mousse cups, but I modified the recipe a bit by adding a teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 c confection sugar and upped the cream cheese to 4 oz as well as the flour to 1 1/2 cups. The results were quite good. I also dusted my counter top with confection sugar rather than rolling with flour, just a matter of preference when using sweetened dough. A great recipe, but not quite perfect.
These tastes really good- especially with the cheese filling also found on this site. Don't worry if the dough mix seems kind of loose even after refrigeration, once pressed firmly onto the muffin tin cups, it should bake and hold up pretty well. I love that it's only 3 ingredients and there is no grease needed to coat the tins!
I made this in three tart sizes: the mini-cupcake pans, the "muffin top" pans and the regular cupcake pans. I baked them 15 minutes at 325, unfilled. Nice, flaky crust and you do not need to vent and weight as with regular pie crust. I suggest working the dough so it is rather thin and up the sides of the mini and muffin tins. For the muffin-top pan, I just spread it to fill the space. Each shape is good for a purpose. Minis filled with something like PASTRY CREAM from this site or a fruit filling. The larger ones would be better for salads for more savory fillings. Overall, though, this crust is outstanding and so very versatile.
Excellent! I used these to make miniature pumpkin pies. Very good flavor, but the flavor doesn't stand out so much that it interupts the flavor of the filling. Definitely a keeper.
So easy to make and delicious! I used this recipe to make "Basic Quiche by Shelly" as recommended by another user. The quiches turned out so good! Crust was flaky and perfect. I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe. Also works well to use as a full size pie crust, just make sure to very lightly brown the crust before pouring in the filling of choice. The crust didn't quite get done when I used it for a full size pie instead of the mini-muffin size.
Brilliant recipe. So quick and easy, yet they taste like fine pastry that took hours to acheive. Substitute 1/2 the flour with 1/2 corn meal Masa Harina for a southwestern taste. Top these with some spicy barbecued beef they're like mini tamales!
I used a rice flour blend rather than wheat flour to make this. It turned out wonderful! (I'd made this often in the past using wheat flour and hoped it would be just as good. Maybe it's better though. =) )
Terrific recipe!! It's simple to make, my kids helped make the dough balls and tamp them down. They turned out delicious (we made raspberry tarts from raspberry pie III from this site). We ate 12 between 3 of us within the first hour. Thank you for an easy and yummy recipe.
I used this recipe for a pie crust. It delicious! I can't even begin to tell you how easy it was to make! Easy to roll out to, which I always loathed with other crust recipes! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Very good and the dough is easy to work with. I also like the cream cheese pie dough recipe on this site - it's also very easy to roll out. This can use a pinch of salt.
Melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I couldn't believe how quick and easy these were to do. I wanted to make mini quiches so took a couple of other reviewers' advice and used this recipe with Shelly's Basic Quiche mixture - a wonderful combination, thoroughly recomended.
Very good. I only used 3 tbsp of margarine for the dough since I read some past reviews saying it was a bit greasy, and was fine.
The recipe didn't work for me, they were very easy to make but quite greasy and tasteless
These were easy to make and made perfect little crusts for my mini quiches (Basic Quiche by Shelley on this site). Delicious!
The shell tasted great but I don't recommend using them for uncooked filling-i.e. baking the shell then filling it with something. It soaked up the moisture of the filling and became quite soggy. So just follow the recipe and they come out with a wonderful flavor!
These shells were amazing! Because the recipe looked so simple (with only three ingredients!), I didn't expect great results. Boy, was I surprised! They taste exactly like the egg tart shells from my favorite Chinese bakery. I used to custard from the Hong Kong Egg Tarts recipe to fill these shells. They came out flaky and delicious! My friends devoured these and still wanted more! I only had fat free cream cheese on hand, but it still turned out great. Definitely a keeper.
Easy, very nice tasting tart shells. Hard to believe something this easy can taste and bake up so nice. A real keeper recipe I will use again!
My new favorite crust recipe. Couldn't be easier or more yummy. I made it non-dairy for kosher reasons, by using margarine and Tofutti cream cheese (both trans-fat free, by the way) and it was fabulous. I even replaced a bit (approx. 1/3 c.) of the flour with whole wheat flour to make it a tiny bit healthier (more whole grain), and it was still great. I can't recommend it more highly.
I made these last night and they tasted great. They are really easy to make. I used a normal muffin pan and made 12 tart bases. Baked them for 20 minutes, removed them from the muffin cups, put them on a normal baking pan and topped them with "apple-lemon zest" sauce and baked them for another 20 minutes. They tasted great. I wonder what will happen if I reduce the butter. They are a bit greasy, but taste great. I didn't have normal butter and used salted butter and they still tasted perfect. One tip: mixing the flour with softened butter and cream cheese was a bit hard. I boiled water in a sauce pan, put my mixing bowl on top of the sauce pan so that hot steam would warm up my bowl a bit, and mixed the ingredients very easily. Thanks for posting this recipe. I will make it over and over again.
These are so easy, I make them over and over again! I use it as the crust for mini cheesecakes. My favorite thing to do that impresses many people and pleases many mouths is to fill with yogurt instead of custard and top with any fruit I have around.
This tart crust is very tender, buttery, and delicious. I've used this recipe to make everything from mini quiches, mini apple pies, and shells for tuna salad. I've also used whole wheat flour for healthy mini quiches and those tasted great as well. Easy and versatile recipe!
very happy to find a simple pie crust recipe used this for a pumpkin pie today and going by what one reviewer said i prebaked the shell for 20 mins before i added the filling unfortunately 20 mins was a bit too long and i burned the outer crust but upon eating the pie i was glad i prebaked it because it deff would have been soggy/raw so next time i will pre bake it for 10-15
I used these shells to make tomato tartletts and I didn't have any leftovers. Everyone raved silently because they all had full mouths!
Excellent tart shell. Make sure you don't use too much dough per muffin and press the dough thinly into the muffin pan, otherwise the contents of your tart will overflow out as the dough rises.
I needed a quick pastry shell for some mini tarts and this did the trick! It took minutes to put together and the results were AMAZING! I made sure not to work the dough too much to ensure I maintained the flaky crust...it worked! I will use this EVERYTIME I make my mini tarts!
Wow, this makes buttery, flakey shells that are so delicious and easy to use! I made a sugar-free chocolate mousse to pipe into these and topped it with a raspberry to add a little color. The only change I made was to press the dough into 6 regular sized muffin cups, b/c I wanted a larger cup. So, they baked an extra 10 minutes, since they were larger. I will definitely use this recipe again!
These are awesome and so versatile! I added a touch of cinnamon and kosher salt to the dough to enhance the flavors and then filled them with apples for mini apple pies. They were a hit at Christmas Eve! Then for Christmas morning I made them again (this time omitting the cinnamon) and made mini quiches! Everyone raved about the crust and how flaky and buttery they were. I will use this recipe over and over! Thanks!!
great recipe, except according to the original recipe, i felt the crusts were too thin and fragile. instead of 24 i made about 18 tart shells, which after baking, i filled w/ a little bit of custard & topped it w/ fresh assorts berries and mandarin oranges.
i made this yesterday oh..my.. it's so good my husban,and my little 2year old love it i just put little salt ,sugar for the tase, i use 4T spoon butter only i fill with chicken salad ,thankyou for sharing this recipe you are my hero......
I followed the recipe, exactly! This had no taste, what-so-ever! It tasted like a regular biscuit with an after taste of cream cheese, that just lingered in my family's mouth, we threw out the remaining tarts. Maybe I did something wrong? But there are only a few steps, don't believe I messed it up. I will try again, but tweak it up this time, now that I know how it tastes IF I follow this recipe!
These are easy and delicious. I used them for mini quiches and the flavor was excellent.
Amazing! These are so buttery and flakey and super easy to make. Definitely going to make it again!
ive tried this, and it was pretty good. The taste was nice and buttery, the cream cheese did do it's job, but it was too breakable. i like a good, solid crust, and this would break when I touch it, I couldn't fill it properly. I would recommend baking it for a little more.
Fantastic! Made mini Key Lime Pies. Huge hit. Everyone loved them. I made them in a regular sized cupcake pan so they made induvidual serving size pies. It made 10 small ones, instead of 24 tiny ones.
I just made this for mini quiche. I found it easiest if you shape it in the palm of your hand before fitting it into the muffin tin. I thought it was going to look sloppy because my quiche mix ran over a little, but they look great. overall, very easy and tasty...thanks
The dough was sooooo sticky... too sticky, it was like molding cream cheese into a muffin cup. So after I squished the dough into the tins, I pricked them anyway just to be sure. Baked them for 15 minutes and POOF! I had little indented muffins. One, they shrunk WAY below the edge of the tins, they ended up with crispy, over browned edges and they were soft in the center. Sooo, the second batch, I reduced the temp 25 degrees built the dough up above the edges and essentially ended up with the same results. With that being said, they did have good flavor and they were relatively flaky. So I'm giving two stars because of flavor and texture but they don't make adequate tart shells. I suppose I could put a dollop of something on them (not in them).
This was amazing, I will definately make it again
My first time making tart shells. I was looking for a easy recipe and this is great! I did half of the recipe. Banana puddin filling and cover with banana foster sauce...amazing!
I took the advice of others and baked the shells before filling them. They came out perfectly. I would definitely use this recipe again!
These actually turned out really nicely- I added some salt and a bit of sugar for flavor... and added a bit of extra flour to change the butter/flour ratio per earlier reviews. Not overly flavorful, but a lovely base for other flavors. Would make again!
Tried this recipe last night, made a full size quiche, this recipe tastes exactly like a certain national brand of frozen quiche (Nancy's) which is delicious! Will use this recipe from now on!! Absolutely terrific!!
This was a great, easy recipe! I followed Hope's advice and used Shelly's Basic Quiche (with some spinach) and made mini quiches that turned out very yummy.
OMG! So good, i used this recipe to make a quick shell for a fruit tart, was hard to roll out but tasted pretty good. I think next time ill add sugar to the dough though, it wasnt sweet enough.
My first time making this, I accidentally grabbed neufchatel out of the fridge instead of the cream cheese--but it baked much the same with a similar flavor, and is apparently 1/3 less fat...so it might be a marginally healthier option. Either way--lovely, especially with raspberry jam.
I wish I could give these tart shells ten stars. They are perfectly flakey, incredibly tasty and so very easy. I have used this recipe for making almost every kind of pie: pecan tassies, apple pies, quiche, meat pies, pumpkin pies, cherry pies, etc. I have made small tarts and regular sized pies using his recipe. Just double or triple as needed. And cook the crust as your filling recipe demands. So use your filling recipe, but don't bother with a traditional butter crust. This cream cheese crust is so much better!
These are great and the baked shell keeps well in the icebox filled or unfilled.
These are soo easy! my kids love them filled with pudding and a slice of kiwi on top!
These were just alright. I had to use pie weights when I baked the shells because they really puffed up on me. I will look for another recipe next time, probably one without cream cheese which is a bit lost in this crust.
These are good! I used them to make mini pumpkin pies. Had to bake them about 15 minutes on their own, then put in the pie filling and baked again for about 40 minutes. Turned out pretty well, though the crust doesn't have heaps of flavor and is slightly greasy, I think that the easiness of the recipe makes up for it!
I had high hopes, wanted to use as a tart crust for quiche and some cookies. But when I baked them, they completely collapsed into the cups, leaving a mound of crust, rather than a shell. Not sure why I had a bad experience. If anyone has an idea...
It's a good tart. I also used it for a pumpkin pie crust and it tasted pretty good, although I have to say I'm a bigger fan of the butter-only recipe.
these were great I doubled the batch and they turned out perfect.. used half the batch for tarts and were nice and crisp yet still soft/flaky.. the other half for a lemon meringue pie and it was spendid... I precooked the crust when making the 9 inch pie a little longer but it made for a nice texture! Great flavor! this will be my new stand by. I'm happy I tried it.
Super Easy! Follow the directions exactly as written. Excellent flavor! I will make them again and again!
This turned out great filled with quiche and I am planning on using it with a custard pie as well. Just make sure to spread it thin enough when putting it in a pie pan so it can bake properly. Very good and easy. Will use this on a regular basis.
Fast, Easy and good I added a little vanilla and Honey to make them sweet. I used a few muffin tins to make 24 of them held up really well with minimal shrinkage.
I made Baked Brie Bites with the Cream Cheese Tart Shell recipe. These tart shells worked out perfectly for my sweet & savoury bites. I filled my tarts with brie, topped with brown sugar, chopped pecans & a drizzle of honey! Oh My! Thanks for sharing Glenda!
I made these for mothers day. I made them, and then added already prepared Cheesecake filling and then topped them with cherries and Strawberries. My family loved them, but I thought they were a little greasy. I would make them again.
This is a wonderful recipe. The cheese flavor is a great compliment to whatever I decide to fill them with. I've also used it for quiche.
Excellent recipe and very easy. I used in mini tart pans for Mini Crawfish Quiche. Was a big hit at brunch.
Wonderful! I've filled it with pumpkin pie! I've also made raspberry jam tarts :)
These are fab-u-lous!!!!! I have never made mini quiche before but after reading someone's review on here about this tart I decided to give it a try...my mini quiches turned out perfectly! :) They looked like a professional chef had made them and they tasted wonderful! I was worried about getting them out of the mini muffin pans after cooking but it was a snap! Soooooooo simple and DE-LISH! I WILL USE THIS RECIPE FOR THE TART SHELLS FROM NOW ON! I made both a Spinach& Mushroom mini quiche as well as Quiche Lorraine minis with these and both were amazingly professional looking! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Bon apetit!
This dough was great! I made mushroom tarts and pear-blue cheese tarts with it, and that worked so well I used it for my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie too. Easier than the butter-flour-ice water version and turns out more reliably light and flaky.
I made these for a xmas party yesterday. Absolutely nothing special about these. I also put some pretty good chicken salad in these. Flavorless and too much like a bunch of pie crust...won't make again
These were delicious, I used them to make the Jello Patriotic Mini Tarts and it was fantastic.
Very tasty! I did add about 1/4 tsp Kosher salt though because I was making these for my mini quiches. Only baked them for about 15 minutes before adding my filling as they were close to burning (I took a hand grater to the bottom of a couple that were burned and grated off the slightly burned parts. wonderful recipe!
I made these tonight.Pretty easy to make!! but the actual crust had NO flavor.I made queijadas..which are Portuguese custard desserts. I think next time I make this recipe I will use a little salt in the mixture.I didnt get the crust I was looking for the kind they use in the Portuguese bakerys!!
It is an OK recipe but will not use again! Not what i was expecting. It is not crumbly.
Oh my GAWD...i used this recipe doubled for mini-quiche and it was amazing! so easy to make and really flaky. I couldn't believe such a crust could come from cream cheese, butter and flour! Will use this again and again!
Tried these for tart shells -too puffy and soft. Maybe they would be good for something else, but as for crust, I prefer my oil recipe using milk, oil, and sugar with flour or even sugar cookie dough - especially for strawberry tarts.
Easy and delicious! Made in a mini muffin pan, filled with vanilla pudding with whipped cream folded in. then added berries on top. Came out perfect. Wouldn't change a thing!
I absolutely love these. I've also used them for mini quiches as well as sweets. They are wonderful!!
Super easy to make! These were very good. I don't recommend using whole wheat flour though. It gave the tarts a bad aftertaste and were kind of dry. I remade them with all-purpose flour and it was MUCH better.
Super easy tart recipe! It doesn't have a lot of flavor so it doesn't over power your filling!! I followed other's suggestions and baked the tarts for 20 min before filling them with apple pie filling and then baked for an additional 20 minutes. Had I not had to modify the bake time, I would have given this 5 stars!
