Fruit tarts with puff pastry

Fruit tarts with puff pastry are perfect for sunny afternoon tea or a delightful summer dessert. These adorable tarts are made of buttery layers of puff pastry, creamy filling with sweet cream and cream cheese, and juicy blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Everything is perfectly balanced with a refreshing hint of lemon juice and fresh lemon balm.

The recipe is simple—it’s all done in less than 30 minutes. These cuties are so sweet and tasty that you’ll want to make them repeatedly.

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Why you’ll love these little beauties

I don’t like baking much in the summer. It’s hot outside, and the last thing you want to do is stick in the kitchen like a moth, sweating while making something like cookies or strudel. Except for simple things like tiramisu, baobab ice cream, or our favorite cakes, dandelion cake and blueberry chocolate cheesecake.

When fresh fruit is available again, I wish for something quick, sweet, and juicy with a taste of summer. These sweet fruit tarts are the reason why I always keep a package or two of puff pastry sheets in the fridge. They are so easy to make – even easier than saffron milk cap tartlets, puff pastry pizza tarts, puff pastry cinnamon pinwheels or brie and pear puff pastry bites.

Besides that, here are a few reasons why you’re going to love our berry tarts:

• They are delicious and fresh. The combo of berries, cream cheese and buttery puff pastry is simply divine.
• They are done in less than half an hour. They don’t take long in the oven, and you’ll assemble them quickly.
• You can top them with any fruit you want. Mix and match your favorite berries or any fruit you have at hand; these beauties will always taste delicious.
• They are so light. Perfect for hot summer days, you will never feel too full with these.
• They are so adorable. They are the perfect finger food for parties and picnics and always get a lot of attention.
• And you can bake them in advance and store them easily. Just top them with cream and fruit right before serving and voila, your perfect, crispy dessert is done in 5 minutes.

Must have ingredients

PUFF PASTRY – For this recipe, we used two packages of premade puff pastry sheets. You can use any premade puff pastry unless you have specific dietary requirements. Keep in mind that gluten-free puff pastry is a tasty alternative!

FRUIT – Feel free to use any type of fruit. These tarts taste great when combined with berries and cream cheese, but if you have other fruits available, don’t hesitate to use them. Any fresh fruit, whether one kind or a mix of fruits, will be perfect. Use whatever is growing in the garden or whatever you have in the fridge.

WHIPPING CREAM & CREAM CHEESE – Don’t have cream cheese in the fridge? No problem! Use vanilla pudding with heavy cream instead. Combine these two to create a simple, fresh, tasty topping that goes well with any fruit.

SUGAR – Adjust sugar according to your taste. It can be replaced with honey, maple syrup, erythritol, or any other sweetener of your choice.

LEMON JUICE – To achieve the simple, fresh taste of summer, add lemon juice to the topping. To make it sweeter, substitute vanilla.

LEMON BALM – We used fresh lemon balm leaves for decoration. However, you can replace them with any other edible leaves or, even better, flowers.

How to make fruit tarts with puff pastry?

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 410 °F/210 °C. If you are using frozen puff pastry sheets, make sure you thaw them before using them. The best way to thaw them is to put them in the fridge overnight.

STEP 2: Whip the cream using a mixer until fluffy. Beat sugar and cream cheese together. Add lemon juice to the cheese mixture and fold it gently together with the whipped heavy cream. Refrigerate until puff pastry is baked.

STEP 3: Cut out round pieces using a glass or a cookie mold. A sharper cookie mold will be easier to use, but a glass will still do the job.

STEP 4: Reload the discs onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Now, use a glass or mold of a smaller size to mark the inner circles. We had nothing better at hand than a spice bottle cover, and it worked just fine! Don’t cut the circles all the way down; you only want to mark them.

STEP 5: Now, carefully use a sharp knife to score the borders of the inner circles without cutting all the way through the discs, just the upper layers.

If these steps take too long and you notice that your discs become soft, we strongly recommend that you put them back in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Remember, puff pastry won’t puff if not baked chilled.

STEP 6: Bake the tarts at 410°F/210°C for 20 minutes until they are golden. While they are hot, press down the center to make space for the cream filling and fruits. Allow them to cool while you prepare another sheet of puff pastry.

STEP 7: Fill the cavities with the cheese-cream mixture. You can choose to fill them to the top or leave space for the berries for added fruity flavor.

STEP 8: Top up with berries. We decorated these cuties, each with a fresh lemon balm leaf.

STEP 9: They taste best when served fresh! If needed, keep them chilled in the refrigerator. Enjoy your merry berry tarts!

How to store them

The best way to store the fruit tarts in advance is to store the puff pastry tarts and cream cheese with whipped cream separately. They won’t soak the cream, and they will stay crunchy. Just top them with cool cheese topping and freshly cut fruits before serving. This way, they could last up to 3 days in the fridge.

We recommend storing the puff pastry fruit tarts in the fridge, wrapped in paper and placed in an airtight container. Depending on the fruits you have topped them with, they will last up to two days. For that delicious crunchiness, use them the same day.

You can’t freeze them topped with fruits, but you can freeze freshly baked pastry separately, wrapped in paper and plastic. However, the quality of the thawed puff pastry will not be the same. It’s best to make them as fresh as possible.

Tips for great fruit tarts with puff pastry

• Puff pastry should be chilled right before baking; if it is put into the oven at room temperature, it will not puff very well. If assembling the discs takes too long, refrigerate them for another 15 minutes before baking.

• Thawing frozen puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator overnight works best.
• Homemade puff pastry has a fresher taste and a delicate, flaky texture that melts in your mouth. Store-bought sheets might also be made with lower-quality butter or even margarine.

• Handle the pastry as little as possible to keep those layers intact. When cutting, use a sharp knife for clean edges and better rise.

• Leave enough space between pieces on the tray to allow for expansion.

• Push down the openings right after baking when puff pastry is still hot. However, make sure that the tarts, the cream topping and the berries are completely chilled before arranging and serving them. 
• Don’t overload the pastry with fillings to keep it crisp and prevent fogginess. If you want it really crispy, arrange it right before serving.

• A light brush of egg wash gives them a beautiful golden finish. If you want them to look shiny, glaze them with jelly (yes, they will last a little longer). 

FAQs

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We are proud to announce our fruit tarts were featured at Ducks ‘n a Row, Karin’s Cottage and Simple Life Mom.