10 Recipes for Fun and Fancy Tarts That Are Almost Too Cute to Eat (2024)

Fresh Fruit and Cream Tarts

A rich pastry cream chilled in a pastry shell is topped with colorful fruit (use whatever's in season), creating this refreshing mini dessert. You can assemble the delicate fruit tart recipe and refrigerate up to four hours before serving.

Lemon Curd Tassies

Make these elegant miniature fruit tarts by spooning homemade lemon curd into buttery pastry cups. Since the pastry dough needs time to chill, make it a day in advance and let it sit in the fridge overnight or freeze it for up to 1 month.

Apple-Toffee Tartlets

Get all the goodness of a caramel apple in one or two bites with this buttery blend of apple chunks, toffee pieces, and brown sugar. Serve the apple tarts with a steamy cup of tea and a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

Lavender-Honey Lemon Tart

This gorgeous lemon tart recipe gets some floral flavor from adding lavender buds. Unflavored gelatin goes in the filling to give each slice a clean, polished look. Follow the easy candied lemon recipe for a truly picturesque finish.

Apple and Browned Butter Tart

Browned butter adds a nutty, toasty flavor to this apple tart recipe. The creamy custard filling pairs beautifully with the stunning display of sautéed Honeycrisp apples.

Test Kitchen Tip: If your sweet pastry dough is warm or hard to handle, pop it in the fridge for an hour to let the butter firm up.

Beef, Mushroom, and Onion Tart

This top-rated savory tart recipe starts with purchased dough so you'll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat. Lean ground beef is sautéed with mushrooms and onions for an umami-rich filling. Blue cheese (if it's not your favorite, try feta or goat cheese!) gives every bite a funky, tangy flavor.

Pomegranate-Orange Cream Tart

This stunning dessert tastes even better than it looks—a glassy layer of pomegranate and cranberry gelée tops a base of orange cream, all held together with a rich tart pastry. You'll wow your guests will this delicious and elegant treat.

Roasted Berries and Grapes Tart

You might be thinking that grapes are a strange fruit to have in a tart dessert, but they pair deliciously with creamy mascarpone and tangy berries. Another slightly unexpected ingredient, fresh thyme, adds an earthy essence to the otherwise extra-sweet dessert.

Autumn Fruit & Maple Custard Slab Tart

Ideal for a fall gathering, this easy tart recipe is full of autumn flavors—pears, cranberries, maple, ginger, and cinnamon. No need for a fancy pastry pan either, just place the pasty dough on parchment paper and a regular baking sheet to bake.

Pecan Tassies

For a bite-size sweet treat, give these easy-to-make pecan tassies a try. With minimal ingredients and prep time, these are the perfect desserts to whip up before an impromptu party begins. If you don't have pecans on hand, no worries! Any chopped nut is delicious in this recipe.

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