Pâte Sucrée: French Sweet Pastry for Mini Fruit Tarts

5 from 4 votes

Pâte Sucrée or French Sweet Pastry is a key ingredient in classic French dessert tarts. It's often filled with pastry cream and topped with fruit.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Dessert, Pastry

Cuisine: French

Servings: Tart Shells

Calories: 80kcal

1 ¾ cups (8.75 ounces, 250 grams) all-purpose flour (See Note 1)
¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (3.5 ounces, 100 grams) confectioner’s sugar
7 Tablespoons (3.5 ounces, 100 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces.
1 large egg
1 teaspoon heavy cream (only if necessary)

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Pulse process flour and confectioner’s sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade until combined, 5 to 6 pulses. Add butter; pulse process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 8 to 10 pulses. Add egg; pulse process 5 to 6 times. Mixture will be crumbly. If necessary, add 1 teaspoon cream; pulse process 2 to 3 more times.
Dump onto piece of parchment paper or other surface. Knead just until dough comes together. (See Note 2).
Pinch off 1 ounce pieces, about the size of a golf ball. Roll into a ball, and flatten onto a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Cover with piece of parchment paper, and roll ⅛-inch thick. Cut with a 3 ½-inch round cutter. Gently press into mold; cut away excess dough. Generously prick all over with a fork. (See Note 3)
Freeze for 20 minutes. (See Note 4)
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely. Yield: 24 mini tart shells.

I used Gold Medal Blue flour because if its lower protein content.
Dough can be made ahead of time up to this point. Flatten into disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days in advance. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before ready to use.
I used mini round nonstick tart pans . They were the perfect size for producing mini fruit tarts.
Freezing the dough before baking is important to ensure the it doesn't shrink in the pastry mold.