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Mini Raspberry Custard Tarts Recipe

These delicious bite-sized Raspberry Custard Tarts are the perfect balance of creamy vanilla custard, a crunchy sugar cookie crust, soft whipped cream and tangy raspberries. They’re a light, tasty dessert your guests will love.

This raspberry tarts easy recipe means they are also incredibly simple to make. With basic ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, even beginner bakers can whip up a batch of these tarts with ease.

These little Raspberry Custard Tarts are the perfect light ending to a dinner party, a sweet dessert for celebrating a special occasion, and a delicious treat to enjoy with your afternoon tea.

Mini raspberry custard tarts lined up on a serving platter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious flavor: The combination of creamy custard, buttery vanilla cookie crust, whipped cream, and sweet-tart fresh raspberries is a classic pairing your friends and family will find irresistible!

Pretty presentation: The small, bite-sized tarts are not only visually appealing but are also a great option for parties or gatherings where guests can easily grab one and go.

Simple ingredients: The recipe only calls for a handful of basic ingredients that are likely already in your kitchen, making it an easy dessert to whip up at a moment’s notice.

Easy to make: The instructions are straightforward and easy to follow, so even inexperienced bakers can make these tarts with confidence.

Versatile: While the recipe calls for raspberries, you can easily swap them out for other types of fruit, such as blueberries, blackberries or strawberries, depending on your personal preference.

For a recent baby shower, I was hankering to bake something pretty and petite that would pair well with fresh raspberries. I was envisioning a crispy, sweet little tart shell filled with vanilla custard and topped with whipped cream and raspberries.

When I couldn’t find a recipe with that particular combination, I improvised. I modified my favorite sugar cookie pie crust to make the little shells, and reduced the quantities on my cream filling and topping recipes.

I topped each tiny tart with an organic raspberry. The tarts were enthusiastically received, so now I can safely share the recipe with you.

You can prepare the tart shells and custard the day before, and then all you have to do is whip the cream (up to two hours before serving) and assemble the tarts (up to an hour before serving).

These little tarts are perfect for Mother’s Day brunch, a ladies’ tea, or a sweet ending to a springtime dinner, and are also great paired with Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes.

If you love fresh berry desserts like I do, be sure to check out our recipe for Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes and Strawberry and Cream Tart, too!

Ingredients and Substitutions

A white bowl of red raspberries.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these mini tarts with raspberries:

1 pint fresh raspberries

Granulated sugar

Butter – I use salted butter because our family likes the flavor, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.

All purpose flour

Salt – table salt or sea salt will dissolve best in this recipe.

Milk – whole milk or 2% milk will work best.

Vanilla extract

3 egg yolks – Large eggs work best in this recipe.

Heavy cream – Look for the words “heavy cream” on the container, which will help the cream whip up nice and thick.

Powdered sugar – also called confectioners’ sugar.

Fresh mint sprigs – Optional, for garnish.

Equipment You’ll Need

Medium saucepan

Whisk

Wax paper

Mini tart pan or mini muffin pan

Cooling rack

Large bowl

Stand mixer or electric mixer

Step by Step Directions

To make the sugar cookie tart shells, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a mini tart pan or mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light. Beat in flour, salt, milk and vanilla, until mixture is moist and crumbly. 

Roll the dough into balls that are 1 heaping teaspoon each. Press the balls into the prepared mini tart pan or mini muffin pan and work the dough until it is pressed thin and up the sides of the pan about 3/4 inch.

PRO COOKING TIP: You can use a spoon handle or a small pestle to press the indentation into the dough if you wish.

You should have enough dough to make about 28-30 tarts. Prick the bottom of each tart.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just barely golden on top.

To make the custard filling, heat the milk in a heavy saucepan over a medium-high heat until bubbles appear around edge.

Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with wire whisk or mixer until pale yellow and thick. Beat in flour and dash of salt until well mixed. Gradually beat in hot milk; pour all back into saucepan.

Cook, whisking constantly, over moderately high heat until mixture thickens and comes to boiling, lower heat. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes, over low heat, whisking constantly. Mixture will be quite thick.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Place a piece of wax paper directly on surface of filling to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours.

To make the whipped cream topping, chill a metal mixing bowl and the beaters from an electric mixer in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Whip the cream in the chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the powdered sugar just until the cream forms stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and whip just until combined.

Whipped cream in a bowl with cream, powdered sugar, and a beater nearby.

To assemble the tarts, spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons custard filling into each mini tart shell. Use a teaspoon to put a generous dollop of whipped cream on each tart. (You may have some filling and topping left over. Feel free to eat this directly from the bowl as I did.)

Top with a fresh raspberry, and arrange on a platter. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and additional raspberries. Makes about 24 tarts.

16 mini raspberry custard tarts on a serving dish.

Recipe Variations

You can substitute these fruits to vary the flavors and use seasonal produce:

Blueberry Tarts – Substitute fresh blueberries for the raspberries, and top each tart with 2-3 fresh berries.

Blackberry Tarts – Use fresh blackberries instead of raspberries to top the mini tarts.

Strawberry Tarts – Top each custard top with either 1 medium strawberry or half of one large strawberry.

Fresh Cherry Tarts – Substitute one or two pitted cherries for each raspberry to top the tarts.

Storing the Raspberry Tarts

Store leftover tarts, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

You can make the vanilla custard filling in advance and store, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can also make the sugar cookie shells in advance and store, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

If you enjoy this recipe, click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below to leave a rating! It helps us so much, and we love reading your comments, too!

Mini raspberry custard tarts lined up on a serving platter.

Mini Raspberry Custard Tarts

Eliza Cross
Mini Raspberry Custard Tarts feature a crunchy sugar cookie crust, vanilla custard filling, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. You'll love these sweet, light tarts for the perfect dinner party dessert or to serve at a shower or potluck.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Custard Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 tarts
Calories 141 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

For the Vanilla Custard

  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

For the Sugar Cookie Tart Shells

  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Whipped Cream Topping

  • 3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To Make the Raspberry Tarts

  • 1 pint fresh raspberries, gently washed and dried
  • fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

To Make the Vanilla Custard

  • Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with wire whisk or mixer until pale yellow and thick. Beat in flour and salt until well mixed. 
  • In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk over medium-high heat until bubbles appear around edge.
  • In a slow stream, pour hot milk into flour mixture, whisking constantly, until combined. Pour the mixture back into saucepan.
  • Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to boiling, lower heat. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes, over low heat, whisking constantly. Mixture will be quite thick. Remove from heat.
  • Stir in butter and vanilla until combined. Transfer to a bowl, and place a piece of wax paper directly on surface of filling to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

To Make the Sugar Cookie Tart Shells

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a mini tart pan or mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
  • In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light. Beat in flour, salt, milk and vanilla, until mixture is moist and crumbly. 
  • Roll the dough into balls that are 1 heaping teaspoon each. Press the balls into the prepared mini tart pan or mini muffin pan and work the dough until it is pressed thin and up the sides of the pan about 3/4 inch. You can use a spoon handle to press the indentation into the dough if you wish. You should have enough dough to make about 28-30 tarts. Prick the bottom of each tart.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just barely golden on top. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

To Make the Whipped Cream Topping

  • Chill a metal mixing bowl and the beaters from an electric mixer in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  • Whip the cream in the chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the powdered sugar just until the cream forms stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and whip just until combined.

To Assemble the Raspberry Custard Tarts

  • Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons custard filling into each mini tart shell. Use a teaspoon to put a generous dollop of whipped cream on each tart. (You may have some filling and topping left over.) Top each tart with a fresh raspberry, and arrange on a serving platter. Garnish with additional berries and fresh mint sprigs. Makes about 24 to 28 tarts.

Notes

Store leftover tarts, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1tartCalories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 52mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 283IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
Keyword custard, easy desserts, light desserts, mini desserts, mini tarts, raspberries, tarts
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Mini raspberry tarts on a serving dish.

About Eliza Cross

Eliza Cross is the author of 17 books, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon. She shares ideas to simplify cooking, gardening, time and money. She is also the owner of Cross Media, Inc. and founder of the BENSA Bacon Lovers Society.

9 thoughts on “Mini Raspberry Custard Tarts Recipe”

  1. This recipe is best for kiddie parties.. Canapes like this is what the kids love, most especially it is sweet. Delicious!

    Reply
  2. It may have been said man can not live on bread alone…but I’d be willing to attempt to live on these for a while. They look amazing!!!

    Reply
  3. This tiny dessert looks so delicious and I look forward to attempting it. I am more of a cook than a baker, so I hope I can pull this off.

    Reply

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