This recipe for a mini chocolate tart features a chocolate cookie topped with a light cream cheese frosting, fresh fruit, apricot glaze, and edible flowers. I love to make these in the summertime when fresh fruit and flowers are abundant!
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About the recipe
When fresh, juicy berries are abundant in May through August and I start to have cutting flowers in the garden, I always try to use them in one of my favorite desserts: fruit tarts!
I've been making different versions of fruit tarts ever since I learned how to make a classic French Fruit Tart in culinary school many years ago. It's such an elegant way to showcase fresh fruit and a great outlet for getting creative!
While I love a classic fruit tart when I have friends to share it with, mini tart recipes are perfect for when you need a single serving. You can store the baked tart base or shell for up to a week and just fill them individually as you would like to enjoy one!
What is a fruit tart made of?
Traditional fruit tarts are made of a slightly-sweetened, butter tart dough called Pâté Sucrée that I would say is a cross between shortbread and a sugar cookie. The dough is pricked and baked in a tart pan, then filled with vanilla pastry cream.
Fruit tarts are topped with a rainbow of cut, fresh fruit, and brushed with an apricot glaze to make them shine and glisten. The end result is always stunning!
What if I don't have a tart pan?
If you don't have a tart pan, mini muffin tin, or tartlet mold, not to worry! I developed this chocolate cookie tart dough to be rolled out and cut with your favorite cookie cutter!
It makes for the perfect base to top with a luscious cream cheese topping, berries, apricot glaze, and edible flowers. You are going to LOVE how simple and delicious these are!
Ingredients
For the chocolate tart crust:
- Dairy: butter, sour cream for the cookies; cream cheese for the topping
- Sugars: brown and granulate sugar for the cookies; powdered sugar for the topping.
- Flavorings: cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla.
- Dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Garnish: fresh fruit like berries, stone fruit, kiwi, or mandarin, edible flowers (pansy, vinca, rose, lavender, borage), apricot jam glaze.
Instructions
For the chocolate cookie base:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cocoa powder, granulate and brown sugars. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk in the sour cream, vanilla, and espresso powder, followed by the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Use a spatula to fold in any residual flour so that you are careful not to overmix:
4. Use your hands or a spatula to carefully work the dough into one mound, like you see below:
5. Transfer the dough mound to a floured sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4'' thick or a little thicker, if you like.
6. Cut the cookies into your desired tart shape - you should get about twelve 3-inch cookies. Bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then let them cool completely before frosting with a simple cream cheese topping and placing all the fruit and flowers on top!
Special equipment
- Parchment paper - this makes it easy to roll and cut the cookies, as well as help them bake properly on the cookie sheet.
- Rolling pin - I love my French rolling pin and think it is so easy to handle.
- Scalloped cookie cutter - round cookie cutters with scalloped edging are my favorite for dainty cutouts in every season.
- Pastry brush - my wood handle pastry brushes with natural bristles are a must for brushing on glazes!
- Edible flowers - choose ones grown without pesticide use. Pansies, borage, lavender, mint, vinca, marigold, nasturtium, and rose petals are my favorite!
Tips for serving
How long can a fruit tart last?
Once frosted and topped with fruit, the tart should be eaten within an hour or so. These cookies are pretty sturdy, and the thicker you cut them, the less likely they will get soggy. I've let these sit up to 2 hours at an event before and the cookies held up very well.
How do you keep fruit tarts from getting soggy?
The best way to enjoy your fruit tarts without them getting soggy is to frost and top them as you are ready to enjoy them. Once the cookies and frosting are made, they can be refrigerated separately for up to 1 week. That way, you can enjoy them as needed over several days!
Are you ready to make this mini chocolate fruit tart recipe? I’m so excited for you to try this recipe. Once you get the chance to make it, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Leave a comment and rate the recipe below. This will help me with the creation of future recipes!
I’d also love to feature your creation in my monthly newsletter, so you can upload a photo to Instagram or Twitter with the tag @sweetcayenne5 to be featured!
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Recipe
Chocolate Mini Fruit Tarts
Ingredients
For the chocolate cookies:
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 7 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup light sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
For the cream cheese topping:
- 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, slightly softened for 15 minutes
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the fruit and glaze:
- 2 cups assorted, washed and sliced fruit (any berry, peaches, plums, nectarine, kiwi, mandarins, cherries)
- ¼ cup apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons water
- Edible flowers and mint, optional (pansies, vinca, rose petals, lavender, borage, nasturtium
Instructions
For the chocolate cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, then whisk in the cocoa powder, white and brown sugar. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the yogurt, vanilla, and espresso powder until well-combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. You may need to use your hands to shape the mixture into a disk.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface (I recommend doing this on parchment). Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to a thickness of ¼’’. Carefully cut shapes out of the dough with a cutter and transfer them to the parchment lined baking sheet, placing them about 1’’ apart. Gather up remaining dough and roll out again, repeating this step until all of the dough has been used.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Do not overbake - the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Let cookies cool slightly for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies cool, make the frosting.
For the frosting:
- Using a hand mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl on medium speed. Mix until just combined and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Apricot glaze:
- Combine the apricot jam and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 40 seconds, then stir to combine.
Cookie assembly:
- Place about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese frosting on each cookie and carefully spread to the edges. Top with fruit in any design that you desire. Brush the top of the fruit with apricot glaze, then finish with any edible flowers or mint leaves on the very top. Enjoy right away!
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