Dutch Almond Tartlets Recipes

ALMOND TARTLETS RECIPE

Steps:

• Set the oven to gas mark 6 or 200°C.
• Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using cutter, cut pastry to line bun-tray holes, re-rolling pastry as necessary.
• Mix the jam in a small bowl until it's runny, and then place a very small amount in the base of each pastry case, smearing it out to cover the base.
• Beat the butter so it's really soft, then add sugar, ground almonds, egg yolk and almond extract. Beat until smooth, then divide mixture between pastry cases, spreading it out slightly. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top.
• Bake tartlets in the centre of the oven for 10 mins, then reduce oven temperature to gas mark 2 or 150°C, and cook for a further 10-15 mins, or until they are a light-golden colour.
• Remove the tartlets from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a small glass measuring cup, stir together butter, vanilla, and 1/2 tablespoon water; pour over flour mixture. Stir to combine. With floured hands, press dough into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove tart shell from oven, and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, stir together almonds, heavy cream, sugar, egg, almond extract, Grand Marnier, and salt. Pour filling into crust. Bake tart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

DIANE'S ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch. Shape into a ball and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness, cut into appropriate size circles with a glass or cookie cutter and press into tart shells. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into bottom of each shell.
• In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in rice flour and cocoa powder. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons almond extract. Fill tarts 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is set. Allow to cool.
• In a small bowl, Stir together 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Spread on tarts. Garnish each tart with a maraschino cherry.

ALMOND TARTS

Steps:

• For dough: Beat the butter, sugars, and salt until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well. Stir in the flour until well blended, then refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or longer.
• Shaping: Place a rounded teaspoon of dough (about 1/2 oz.)into each ungreased mini-muffin cup. With floured fingers or a tart tamper, press the dough up the sides of the cups to form the floor and walls of the crust. Place the crusts in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the filling.
• Filling: Crumble the almond paste into a small bowl. Blend in the sugar, salt and extract(s). Add one egg at a time to the almond paste, mixing well after each addition until there are no lumps.
• Assembly and Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a slightly rounded 1/4 teaspoon of the raspberry jam into each dough-filled cup. Top with almond filling. The almond filling should come to the top of the dough. Bake the tarts for 24 to 28 minutes, until they're puffed and golden brown. Allow the tarts to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely. While they cool, make the glaze.
• Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar with the water until dissolved. Add the food coloring, if you're using it. Drizzle the glaze over the tarts. The tarts store well for 3 - 4 days in airtight containers; freeze them for longer storage.

DUTCH ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Place half of the circles 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Crumble 1/2 teaspoon almond paste over each; top with remaining circles. Pinch edges to seal., Cut a small slit in top of each cookie. Brush with egg white. Press an almond in each slit. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

LITTLE DUTCH TARTS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• For Pastry Crust.
• Whisk together the flour and salt.
• Cut butter into pats and add to flour mixture.
• Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is mealy with pea-sized lumps.
• Add the ice water and knead the dough slightly to bring it together and form a ball.
• Chill dough for 30 minutes.
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• For Filling.
• Combine the almond paste and sugar (it will be very stiff so you will have to mix it with your fingers); add the egg and mix until well-combined.
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• To Make Tarts.
• Pull off enough dough to make a 1/2 to 3/4-inch ball.
• Place ball of dough into cup of non-stick or lightly greased muffin/tart pan (with 1 to 1 1/2-inch sized cups).
• Using a tart shaper (dipped in flour to prevent sticking) press into center of ball, flattening the bottom and forcing dough up sides of muffin cup. If you don't have a tart shaper use your thumb or other rounded tool instead.
• Be careful not to make dough too thin on bottom. Fill in any accidental thin spots with small pieces of dough pressed into place.
• Repeat for remaining muffin cups.
• Return any remaining dough to refrigerator until ready to make next batch to keep it from getting to soft.
• Place almond filling in pastry bag or plastic bag with a hole cut in one corner and pipe filling into pastry cups, filling them up about 3/4 of the way full (filling with puff up some during baking).
• Bake 15-20 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.
• Let cool in pan before removing tarts.
• If desired, spinkle tops with powdered sugar after cool.

CHOCOLATE HONEY ALMOND TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a mini-muffin tin with mini-cupcake liners.
• Place the graham crackers and the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process to fine crumbs, 15 to 20 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture to each muffin cup, gently pressing it into the bottom of the cup with your fingers or a shot glass. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the crusts are firm, rotating the tin halfway through.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk the cream and honey together until the honey has dissolved. Raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture to just below the boil. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour 1 tablespoon of the chocolate filling into each prepared muffin cup. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

DUTCH ALMOND TARTLETS

Steps:

• For dough, begin by cutting flour into margarine until well blended. Add sour cream and mix well. Form into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. For filling, mix almond paste, eggs, sugar and flour together. Mix well and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out 1 ball of dough on a pastry cloth until VERY thin. Using a glass top about 2 1/2 inches wide, cut out circles. Gently press into small tartlet pans. Add about 1 teaspoon of almond mixture to each tartlet shell. Prepare frosting by mixing together softened butter and sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon whipping cream. Add more if need to make thinner. Add food coloring and mix well. Bake 20-25 minutes until light brown. While warm, frost each tartlet with a light layer of pink frosting. Store in refrigerator.

SWEDISH TOSCAS (SWEDISH ALMOND TARTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream the butter with the white sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix in 1 cup flour and stir to make a smooth dough. Divide the mixture by placing even amounts into the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.
• To make the filling, mix the slivered almonds, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter in a small pan. Stir in the cream, and 2 teaspoons flour. Cook and stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until it boils, about 10 minutes. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tart shells.
• Bake in preheated oven until tops and crust edges are light brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing the tarts from the muffin pan. Cool completely on a rack.

DUTCH TREATS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , Roll into 1-in. balls. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of ungreased miniature muffin cups; set aside. , For filling, in a small bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar until blended. Beat in the almond paste. Spoon a rounded teaspoonful into each cup; top each with three almond slices. , Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.

SPECULAAS TART WITH ALMOND FILLING

Steps:

• For dough:
• Sift first 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten dough into disks; wrap and chill at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled. Soften slightly before rolling.)
• For filling:
• Blend first 8 ingredients in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Transfer to small bowl. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Roll out larger dough piece on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to pan and press gently over bottom and up sides, pressing any tears together. Spread filling in dough. Trim dough on sides to 1/2 inch above level of filling. Fold dough in over filling.
• Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12- to 13-inch round. Using bottom of cake pan as aid, cut out 9-inch-diameter round of dough. Slide dough round onto plate and freeze 5 minutes to firm. Reserve dough scraps for cookies. Place chilled dough round on tart; press to adhere and seal edges.
• Bake tart until crust is brown, about 50 minutes. Remove sides of springform pan; cool tart completely on pan bottom. Maintain oven temperature.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough scraps on lightly floured surface to scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch gingerbread-man cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer cutouts to prepared sheets. Repeat, using all of dough.
• Bake cookies until golden, about 8 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets. (Tart and cookies can be made ahead; cover and store at room temperature 1 day or refrigerate up to 3 days.)
• Sift powdered sugar over top of tart. Place small dab of preserves on back of 1 cookie; place at top edge of tart. Repeat with more cookies, forming border around tart. Transfer tart to platter. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour.