Quick Custard Raspberry Mini Tarts, made with a sweetened condensed milk custard, topped with fresh raspberries in a simple crust for a showstopper dessert!
Special Occasion Mini Raspberry Tarts
A special occasion, in need of a special dessert, can range from a dinner party to a bridal shower. I can’t think of a better dessert to serve than these little raspberry custard tarts!
These mini custard tarts are ideal for Valentine’s Day desserts, bridal showers, baby showers, or anytime you want a small, special dessert without a lot of fuss. They’re just as perfect for a birthday treat for one as they are for a dessert table full of guests.
Raspberries are the perfect size to place on the top of a fruit tart and doesn’t need to be sliced. Pretty, practical, and deceptively simple, these raspberry custard mini tarts are proof that an impressive dessert doesn’t have to be complicated.
Individual Tarts – All The Richness Of A Pie
These Quick Custard Raspberry Mini Tarts are an easy, elegant dessert made with a simple butter pie crust, a sweetened condensed milk custard, and fresh raspberries. Baked in mason jar lids, they create the perfect individual serving size with effortless removal after baking, no special tart pans required.
The crust is pressed directly into the jar lids, forming sturdy little shells that bake up buttery and crisp. The filling comes together quickly with just eggs and sweetened condensed milk, creating a smooth, creamy custard that sets beautifully in the oven. Once baked, each mini tart is topped with fresh raspberries for a bright, slightly tart contrast.
What Is In A Quick Custard?
Often, a custard cream requires pre-cooking, whisking an egg yolk mixture with heavy cream on top of the stove, before using. Instead, this quick custard filling only required opening a can of sweetened condensed milk and whisking in an egg or two.
A sweetened condensed milk custard has all the richness of a heavy cream custard and there is no need to add more sugar. Next step, the custard mixture is simply divided among pastry shells and baked in under 30-minutes.
Easy Dessert Pastry Tarts
As much as we try to find a shortcut in making a tart crust or pastry shell, truth is, we still need to line some type of dough into a tart pan.
Have you ever priced tart pans? Especially the type that have a removable bottom? Mini custard tarts are easy to assemble in these mason jar lids, and a pastry of choice can be used.
While I’ve given you an easy to assemble butter pastry recipe, a store bought puff pastry can be used, as well as phyllo dough, just as I use for my baklava tart. I call it my ‘Leftover Phyllo Dough Tart’.
How To Make A Large Order Of Mini-Tarts
Now, suppose you need to make many tarts quickly, say… for a bridal or wedding shower, of a family gathering. Well, not to worry, I’ve got a fabulous tip for you that is cost effective, easy to use and just the right size, and you probably already have them in your pantry!
Let me show you how to use four-inch mason jar lids as a tart pan, which is the perfect solution for making lots of tarts for a large gathering.
A Quick Mini Tart Crust Or Pie Crust Hack
If you are making this recipe into one tart tin, then proceed as you usually do when making a pie or tart to slice and serve.
However, if you would like to make several mini tarts to serve individually rather than slice from a large pie, leaving it looking a mess, then this hack is for you. Those lids on wide-mouth Mason Jars used for canning or storing things in your pantry, are the perfect tart pan for a 4-inch tart.
Simply flip the inside of the lid around (as seen in the recipe video), press a bunch of circles from your pastry, shape in the lids and they are ready to use or freeze for later use.
You can affordably bake tons of tarts instead of purchasing expensive pans, and the tarts pop out easily from the lid to display on a serving platter.
Tart Crust Options
Whether you use my recipe for an easy pastry crust or buy puff pastry to roll out thin, both work beautifully for this quick custard tart recipe.
My tart crust is simply butter, flour, a pinch of sugar and an egg, always an egg to bind the crust together while working with it and baking it. Affordable and fast, you will love the end results in both your tart shells and your wallet.
Raspberry Tarts Make For The Perfect Fruit Tart
On top of this easy custard and easier tart crust, sits the most perfect fruit to place atop a tart.
So many other fruits would need to be sliced to accommodate the dainty size of these individual tarts, such as I do for my Strawberry Tarts. However, the raspberry is the perfect size to place across the tops of a fruit tart.
Growing Raspberries
Having just started to grow my own raspberries, I have a new appreciation for them.
It took two years for my plants to produce fruit and they needed to be controlled. Otherwise they would have meandered across the lawn.
So, a homemade trellis was the perfect way to provide an easy to grow and easy to pick, raspberry garden.
If You Love This Recipe…
Once I discovered how easy it is to make tarts, I went overboard creating lots of recipes. I’m not sure if it’s because the technique is so easy to make desserts fast, or they look so beautiful, that I just have no ceiling on how many I will create.
Enjoy my quick custard raspberry mini tarts but do try a few others for the various seasons and occasions of the year.
Mini Tarts Come In Many Flavors
For early springtime strawberry harvest, we have Strawberry Tarts, made with coconut milk custard and orange blossom.
Blueberry Orange Blossom Tarts are also an easy fresh fruit to use on top of a quick custard tart.
During the holiday seasons, you might delight in Grandma’s Bourbon Pecan Tart, baked in a cookie-like crust.
Who doesn’t love pumpkin in the autumn months! So of course I had to create a scrumptious Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Pie, for that spice we wait all year for.
Quick Custard Raspberry Mini Tarts
These Quick Custard Raspberry Mini Tarts are the kind of dessert that feels thoughtfully made without demanding too much time in the kitchen. A simple butter pie crust is pressed into mason jar lids for perfectly sized individual tarts that release easily after baking. The filling is a creamy, lightly sweet custard made with sweetened condensed milk and eggs, finished with fresh raspberries and a soft cloud of whipped cream.
They’re ideal for celebrations that call for something a little special, Valentine’s Day, bridal showers, birthdays, or any moment that deserves a beautiful dessert made just for you.
Ingredients Needed and Why They Work
- Butter – The backbone of the crust. Butter gives the pastry its rich flavor and tender, flaky texture. Using it cold helps create those delicate layers once baked.
- Flour – All-purpose flour provides structure for the crust, holding everything together while still allowing it to stay soft and crumbly.
- Sugar – A small amount of sugar lightly sweetens the crust and encourages gentle browning, adding depth and balance to the custard filling.
- Salt – Just a pinch sharpens the flavors in both the crust and the filling, keeping the sweetness from becoming flat.
- Eggs – Eggs are essential for the custard, giving it structure as it bakes and creating that smooth, creamy texture. They also help bind the crust dough.
- Cold Liquid (Water or Milk) – Cold liquid brings the dough together without melting the butter. Water keeps the crust crisp, while milk adds a touch of richness, use whichever you prefer.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – This is the secret to the quick custard. It adds sweetness, creaminess, and body all in one ingredient, eliminating the need for extra sugar or stovetop cooking.
- Extract (Vanilla or Your Favorite) – Vanilla is classic, but almond, lemon, or even orange extract can subtly change the mood of these tarts and make them your own.
- Whipping Cream – Lightly whipped cream adds an airy, luxurious finish that contrasts beautifully with the dense custard.
- Powdered Sugar – Used to sweeten the whipped cream, powdered sugar dissolves easily and keeps the topping smooth and silky.
- Raspberries – Fresh raspberries add brightness and a gentle tartness that cuts through the richness of the custard. They also make these mini tarts look effortlessly elegant.
Equipment Needed
- Tart pans or mason jar lids – Mini tart pans work beautifully, but mason jar lids are a clever alternative that create perfectly sized individual tarts and make removal after baking surprisingly easy.
- Measuring Tools – Accurate measuring cups and spoons help keep both the crust and custard perfectly balanced.
- Mixing Bowl – Used for bringing together the crust dough and mixing the custard filling.
- Mixer – A hand mixer or stand mixer makes quick work of blending the custard and whipping the cream until light and smooth.
- Food Processor – Helpful for cutting the butter into the flour when making the crust, creating an evenly textured dough with minimal effort.
- Rolling Pin – Used to roll the pie dough to an even thickness before shaping it into the tart pans or jar lids.
- Baking Sheet – Provides a stable surface for baking the mini tarts and makes transferring them in and out of the oven easy.
- Oven – A steady, even oven temperature is key to setting the custard gently and baking the crust to a light golden finish.
Quick Custard Raspberry Mini Tarts
Equipment
- Mason jar lids, or mini tart pans
- Rolling Pin
- 4-inch Biscuit or cookie cutter
Ingredients
- Pastry Ingredients
- 8 tbsp Butter cold
- 1 3/4 cup Flour extra for dusting
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1/8 cup Water cold
- Quick Custard Ingredients
- 3 Eggs
- 14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- Topping
- 1 cup Whipping Cream
- 2 tbsp Powdered sugar
- 2 cups Fresh Raspberries
Instructions
- First let's make the pie crust. In a food processor or blender, place the cold butter, sugar, salt and flour. Pulse a few time to make the flour look crumbled. Whisk 1 egg and slowly pour into the flour mixture and blend, adding a few spoons of cold water until the pastry comes together into a soft ball. This step can also be done by hand in a medium bowl, using a fork to press the dough into a firm ball.
- When the dough is no longer sticky, transfer to a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Using a round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut out rounds to fit into removable bottom mini tart tins or Mason Jar lids. Continue gathering excess dough to roll it out and continue to press dough to fill each tart pan. If choosing to use puff pastry instead of making the pastry here, you will need to roll and press the same as with this recipe.
- Shape the dough into each tart pan, pressing the dough on the bottom and up the sides. Finish by crimping the top edges of the pastry and with a fork, lightly prick the bottom of the tart shell. Set these on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 325
- Now let's make the creamy custard. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer or wire whisk, whisk the eggs, sweetened condensed milk and extract until light and creamy. Carefully pour mixture into each prepared pastry.
- Bake until the crust is golden and the top of the custard is firm, about 20-30 minutes.While the tarts bake, whip the cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
- When the custard tarts are baked and cool, arrange the fresh berries on top of the tarts, place a dollop of whipped cream on top and serve.
Video
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.