My sister and brother-in-law flew in for a visit last week with their adorable 20-month old twins. Now that we live so far apart, I always cherish the times we are able to spend together. Their visit was the perfect excuse to make a celebratory dessert and with all of the small kids, I decided tartlets would be the perfect thing.
These Blackberry Vanilla Bean Tartlets are just the right size for little kids to each have their own and adults can have two (or three!) without feeling overly indulgent. The tartlets have a tender cookie crust and are filled with a white chocolate and vanilla cream filling. I used the same ingredients as I did in my Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone for the cream filling, but this time I whipped the cream for a lighter mousse-like consistency. I also used a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract so that the beautiful flecks of vanilla would be visible. Feel free to substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla bean if you prefer, however. The crust is the same that I used in the Raspberry Frangipane Tart, although this time the crusts were pre-baked before adding the filling.
After making 24 tartlets, there was a little bit of dough and filling left over. Rather than wait for the tartlets to bake, cool, and assemble all over again, I just let the kids use their cookie cutters to make little cookies topped with some cinnamon sugar. And leftover filling makes a great fruit dip! These tartlets are best served on the day they are made, but they can also be refrigerated and enjoyed the next day as well.
Blackberry Vanilla Bean Tartlets
- Yield: 24 2 1/2-inch tartlets
Ingredients
For the Crust:- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons ice water
For the Vanilla Bean Cream:- 6 ounces white chocolate
- 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
For Assembly:- 1-2 pints blackberries
- 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Place the flour and sugar into a food processor and give a quick pulse to combine. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour and sugar. Pulse until mixture resembles a course meal, about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, use a pastry blender to cut the butter cubes into the flour and sugar.)
- With the food processor running, gradually add the egg yolks and then the ice water. Process until the dough just comes together.
- Using hands, form 2 disks with the dough and tightly wrap each with plastic wrap. Chill dough for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Using one disk at a time, roll dough on a floured surface until dough becomes about 1/8″ thick. Cut out circles slightly larger than the diameter of the tart tins. (I used a drinking glass to help cut the circles.) Gently press the dough circles into the tart tins and trim off any extra dough. Prick crust a few times with the tines of a fork. Repeat until all 24 tart tins are lined with crust. Place tart tins in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
- Place tartlet crusts on a large baking sheet and bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, rotating pan halfway for even baking.
- Allow crusts to cool in the tins for 10 minutes. Gently flip tins over to remove crusts and place on wire racks to cool completely.
For the Vanilla Bean Cream:
- Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the glass bowl from the heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While the chocolate is cooling, split the vanilla bean in half using a paring knife. Then use a small spoon to scrape of seeds out of each half. Whisk the vanilla bean seeds with the mascarpone cheese. Gradually whisk in the melted white chocolate and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream to form soft peaks. Use a spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
For Assembly:
- Spoon a small portion of the vanilla bean cream into each of the tartlet crusts. Top with blackberries. Depending on the size of the blackberries, it may be necessary to cut the blackberries in half. Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving.
Notes
crust adapted from The Martha Stewart Cookbook
filling adapted from Bon Appetit
Raspberry Frangipane Tart
Almond Spelt Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Mango
Coconut Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Maple Rum Raisin Sauce
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
wow these look so cute and delicious! definitely the perfect little sweet snack for my afternoon treat when my sugar cravings hit.
Emily says
Thank you, Thalia!
nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
These look absolutely delicious and also truly beautiful! And they remind me that I haven’t had blackberries at all yet this season!
On an unrelated note, I just nominated you for a Liebster award, if you are interested in participating! 🙂
Russell from Chasing Delicious says
These tartlets are so cute! I just want to eat them all up!
Sarah Box says
I feel so honored that we got to have such a yummy dessert straight from the kitchen of Gather and Dine! You always make our visits so special. These were as delicious as they are beautiful!
AppetiteDeluxe says
Wow these look incredible