Puff Pastry Cream Tarts

These little cream tarts are the mini version of my beloved Crèmeschnitte. Crèmeschnitte is a traditional European dessert that has two layers of puff pastry sandwiched around a vanilla custard filling (I used Bavarian Cream). I turned that into mini little tartlets and topped them with some fruit. 

My family LOVES crèmeschnitte! But Sometimes it can be a little difficult to serve, especially at more formal parties, cuz it’s so creamy and rustic looking. So when I make it, I usually use just one sheet of puff pastry from the box and I’m left with an open box of puff pastry. 

So I made a double batch of cream and decided to try something new with the puff pastry. I baked it in cupcake tins and filled it with the cream. PHENOMENAL. So essentially it’s the same recipe but different preparation.  

Step-by-Step Instructions

Puff Pastry Shell

I just used a store bought puff pastry for these but you can use a homemade one as well.

1. Roll the puff pastry out until it’s almost doubled in size and fairly thin. 
2. Use a large biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles out of one sheet of puff pastry. Sometimes I only squeeze 11 out so I let the scraps rest for at least 10 minutes (to let the gluten relax) and roll them out again to get 1-3 more circles. The puff pastry baked from the scraps will be less puffy and a shrivel a little more but they’re still good if you want the extra few. 
3. Grease the muffin tins and place each circle of dough in one of the muffin tins. I like to press them down with a shot glass – make sure to try to get it even on each edge. If one edge is significantly higher, that side will puff up way more. 
4. Freeze the dough in the muffin tins for 10-20 minutes while the oven preheats. Then place a cupcake liner inside each cup of dough (in my pictures I just cut out sheets of parchment but cupcake liners are way easier) and fill it with pie weights.
5. Bake the puff pastry for about 10 minutes, then (carefully) remove the cupcake liners with the pie weights) and bake again for another 7-10 minutes until they’ve browned. I like to take them to a nice dark golden brown because I found the color lightens once you refrigerate it. 
6. Allow it to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tins and then remove them and allow them to cool completely before finishing the Bavarian cream. 

Tip: If you don’t have pie weights you can also use dry rice, beans or even flour.

Custard for Bavarian Cream

1. Bring the milk to a simmer. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar aggressively for 1-2 minutes while the milk heats. 
2. Stream the milk into the egg mixture, while whisking, to temper the eggs. 
3. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, while whisking continuously (doesn’t have to be aggressive, just keep the whisk moving the whole time), until the custard thickens just slightly. 
4. Pour the custard back into a large bowl and set aside for a second.
5. Bloom the gelatin and then microwave it for 10 seconds. Mix and add it to the custard. Whisk the gelatin well with the custard and then cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until the custard feels somewhat set and still a little jiggly but not runny. 

Finish Bavarian Cream

1. When the custard is chilled and the puff pastry has cooled, whip the cream with the powdered sugar, just until stiff peaks form.
2. Remove the custard from the fridge and use a whisk to mix it until it’s smooth again. This will disrupt the gelatin a little but it will set again when we put it back into the fridge. Make sure you whisk it until there are no more lumps and the custard is smooth again. Feel free to use an electric mixer if you don’t want the arm workout lol. I also push it through a sieve if it’s not getting smooth. 
3. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the custard and whisk until it’s completely combined. Add another 1/3 of the heavy whipping cream to the custard and now use a rubber spatula to fold it in gently. Repeat with the last 1/3. 
4. Use a piping bag with a large round tip to pipe the cream into the prepared puff pastry shells, filling them to the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. Top with fresh fruit and dust with powdered sugar before serving. 

Make It Easier: The whipped cream, sugar and gelatin can also be replaced with one 8-ounce tub of Cool Whip – make sure you’re using that brand and the full-fat version. 

How To Customize These Puff Pastry Cream Tarts

You could turn these into different flavors. I think chocolate would be soooo good.

There’s a few different methods you can use to flavor Bavarian cream.

• Rub citrus zest with the sugar before cooking.
• Make it chocolate like my Chocolate Custard Slice
• Mix in lemon curd, freeze dried ground fruit, Nutella, peanut butter, cookie butter, etc. after it’s done cooking.
• If you’re adding something liquid-y, substitute for some of the milk.
• Steep the heavy whipping cream with vanilla, chai spices, teas, etc. before whipping it to give it flavor or steep the milk before even making the custard. 

I was recently thinking of replacing some of the milk with reduced apple cider, then adding some apple butter to the finished cream and topping the puff pastry with cinnamon sugar.

Another phenomenal idea is topping the cream with granulated sugar and toasting it like Creme Brûlée or topping it with chocolate to make a Boston Cream Pie version.

How to serve and store these cream tartlets?

These little tarts are best serve slightly chilled but as fresh as possible.

Store the tarts in the fridge, covered or in an airtight container for up to 3-4ish days.

I have not tried freezing it (because it never lasts long enough in my house lol) but I don’t imagine it would freeze well. The pastry will likely get really soggy and/or tough and the cream will likely deflate when you thaw it. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. 

If you make these cream tarts, I’d love it if you left a 5-star rating or a review for me! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B

Recipes

Pies & Tarts

Cream Tartlet with Puff Pastry

5 from 3 votes

prep 45 minutes mins

cook 20 minutes mins

4 hours hrs

total 5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Serves 24 tartlets

These cream tartlets are the mini version of my beloved Crèmeschnitte. Crèmeschnitte is a traditional European dessert that has two layers of puff pastry sandwiched around a vanilla custard filling (I used Bavarian Cream). I turned that into mini little tartlets and topped them with some fruit. 

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Servings 24 tartlets

1x2x3x

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Equipment

• ▢
  2 muffin tins
• ▢
  1 small or medium pot
• ▢
  1 large bowl
• ▢
  1 medium bowl
• ▢
  1 Whisk
• ▢
  1 stand mixer or hand mixer
• ▢
  1 Rubber Spatula
• ▢
  1 piping bag

Metric(US) Imperial

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

Bavarian Cream

• ▢ 120 mL whole milk
• ▢ 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• ▢ 50 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 14 grams salted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 4 grams gelatin
• ▢ 15 mL cold water
• ▢ 15 grams powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
• ▢ 180 mL heavy whipping cream, cold
• ▢ raspberries
• ▢ powdered sugar for dusting

Method

1. Make sure you remove the puff pastry from the freezer in advance. I like to thaw it in the fridge overnight but if you leave it out at room temperature for a couple of hours, that should be fine. Make sure it's still somewhat chilled when you go to bake it though.
2. Place the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat and allow it to come to a simmer.
   120 mL whole milk
3. Meanwhile place the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk aggressively for 1-2 minutes while the milk heats.
   2 large egg yolks room temperature, 50 grams granulated sugar
4. Remove the milk from the heat and stream half of it into the egg mixture, while whisking, to temper the eggs.
5. Then add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the milk and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, while whisking continuously (doesn’t have to be aggressive whisking just keep it moving the whole time).
6. The custard won’t thicken significantly but it should thicken slightly. To test if the custard is done cooking, it should coat the back of a spoon and when you draw a line through it (on the back of the spoon) the line stays separated. You can also use a thermometer and bring the cream to about 180F-185F.
7. Pour the custard back into a large bowl, add the butter and vanilla and mix just until they're all combined.
   14 grams salted butter room temperature, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
8. In a small bowl, mix together the gelatin and water until they’re combined. Let it set and then microwave it for 5 seconds. Mix and then add it to the custard. Whisk the gelatin well with the custard and then cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until the custard feels somewhat set and still a little jiggly but not runny.
   4 grams gelatin, 15 mL cold water
9. Roll out the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it's almost doubled in size. It should be quite thin so try not to tear it.
   2 sheet of puff pastry thawed
10. Use a 4 inch biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles from each sheet of puff pastry. Sometimes I get just 11 so I roll out the scrap dough and get a couple more.

    If you're using the scrap dough to make more, ball it up until it's smooth and let it rest for 15 minutes before rolling out again. Keep in mind the shells made from the scrap dough won't be quite as puffy but still good to eat!
11. Grease the muffin tins with baking spray and place each circle in the center. I like to use a shot glass to press it down in the center. Try to get the edges all even so one side doesn't puff more obnoxiously.
12. Freeze the puff pastry in the muffin tins for about 10-20 minutes, or until firm, while you preheat the oven to 350F (177C).
13. Place a cupcake liner (or small sheet of parchment paper) in each frozen puff pastry dough and fill it with pie weights (or dry rice or dry beans).
14. Bake the puff pastry for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven, carefully remove the cupcake lining with the pie weights and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until they're browned – use a shot glass or something small to gently press the center of the shells back down if they've puffed up too much.
15. Remove the puff pastries from the oven and set it aside to cool completely for a few minutes before removing from the muffin tins. Allow to cool completely before finishing the cream.

Finish Bavarian Cream

1. When the custard is ready and the puff pastry has cooeld completely, sift the powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer).
   15 grams powdered sugar spooned and leveled
2. Add heavy whipping cream and mix on medium-low speed until it thickens a little, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for just another 30-60 seconds, until the cream holds stiff peaks. Don’t over-mix.
   180 mL heavy whipping cream cold
3. Remove the custard from the fridge and use a whisk to mix it until it’s smooth again. This will disrupt the gelatin but it will set again when we put it back into the fridge. Make sure you whisk it until there are no more lumps and the custard is smooth again (it may be easier to us a hand mixer for this and you can press it through a sieve if you can't get all the lumps out).
4. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the custard and whisk until it’s completely smooth. Add another 1/3 of the heavy whipping cream to the custard and now use a rubber spatula to fold it in gently. Repeat with the last 1/3.
5. Use a piping bag fit with a large round tip to pipe the Bavarian cream into the prepared puff pastry shells and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. Top with raspberries or other fresh fruit and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
   raspberries, powdered sugar for dusting

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 154IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: European

Keyword: bavarian cream, cream tartlet, crèmeschnitte, puff pastry, puff pastry tart, vanilla cream