Scroll to the bottom of the post to get ALL the “12 Days” recipes from 2019 – 2023!
Welcome to Day 6 of
The Twelve Days of Holiday Treats!
Once again, this year, from December 1st-12th I’ll post a new holiday treat recipe every day – inspiration for your holiday entertaining!
The recipes I’m sharing are small-er batch – each recipe makes 1-dozen or a few more smaller-sized treats that are simple to prepare and that use everyday ingredients and equipment so hopefully you’ll be able to whip up any of these on a whim. Check out the treats from 2019 – 2023 at the bottom of this post too for more inspiration!
Today’s recipe is one you can prepare one part of in advance and because the filling can be store-bought lemon curd, it comes together in a flash when you’re ready to serve. It’s a sweet shortcrust pastry, baked into tiny tart shells using a mini muffin tin, and filled with lemon curd – perfect for your holiday dessert table!
The shells come together really quickly (especially with the help of a mini food processor) and there’s no need to fuss with rolling the dough – you simply take 12 tablespoon-sized pieces of the dough and make tablespoon-sized balls of dough that you then press into mini muffin tins, pricking the bottom of the tart shell with a fork, then setting the tin in the freezer for 15 minutes. Note: you *will* have enough pastry leftover for a few more (it’s hard to divide the recipe down to *just* enough for 12 minis), simply refrigerate (up to a week) or freeze (up to a month) the dough until you’re ready to use it. You could also form the extra pastry shells and freeze them.
To fully bake the pasty shells, you can fill them with baking beans (in a paper case or foil) and bake them for 15 minutes to start with.
Then remove the paper cases and beans and bake for around 7 more minutes until the shells are golden brown:
They you can fill them with whatever you like – I love lemon curd so that’s what we have here.
Lemon Curd Tartlets
Easy mini lemon curd tartlets.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 3/4 cup (113 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57g, 1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon ice cold water
For the filling:
- Approx. 1/2 - 3/4 cup lemon curd (store bought)
Instructions
Make the pastry:
- Lightly grease a 12-cavity mini muffin tin.
- Whisk the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butter and, using your fingertips lightly rub the butter into the flour until it resembles large breadcrumbs with some pieces the size of small peas. You can also use a pastry cutter or mini food processor for this job.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mix and add the water.
- Mix using a wooden spoon until the dough is firm enough to form a ball when you press the mixture together with your fingers - it might be a little crumbly but should come together when you squeeze it gently with your hands.
- Take 12 tablespoon-sized pieces, roll each piece into a ball and use each piece to form a small pastry cup in each muffin tin cavity.
- Try to spread the pastry evenly around the tins and use the tines of a fork to dock the bottom of each pastry cup.
- Place the muffin tin in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- Line each pastry cup with a paper cupcake liner and fill it with a small amount of baking beans.
- Bake the cups for 15 minutes at 375˚F.
- Remove the tin from the oven and remove the baking beans and liners.
- Put the pastry cups back in the oven and bake for a further 7 minutes until the shells are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling each cup with approximately 1 tablespoon lemon curd (you can spoon this in or use a piping bag). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Note: you will have enough dough leftover for a few more (it's hard to divide the recipe down to just enough for 12 minis), simply refrigerate (up to a week) or freeze (up to a month) the dough until you're ready to use it. You could also form the extra pastry shells and freeze them.
- You can freeze the unbaked pastry shells and store them in an airtight container for up to a month. Bake from frozen (they might need a couple of extra minutes).
- You can also fully bake the shells and store them at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days before you fill and serve them.
Recommended Products
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Stay tuned for tomorrow’s treat!
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Check out 2023’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Holiday Speckles
Day 2: Soft Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies
Day 3: Funfetti Thumbprint Cookies with Ruby Drop Centres
Day 4: Chocolate Orange Creme Cups
Day 5: Chocolate Filled Shortbread Cups
Day 6: Pistachio Fruit Bread Crackers
Day 7: Pistachio Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Day 8: Iced Mocha Financier Bars (GF)
Day 9: Lemon Meringue Thumbprint Cookies
Day 10: Chocolate Hazelnut Financiers
Day 11: Cranberry, Almond and Pistachio “truffles”
Day 12: Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies (GF)
Check out 2022’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Chocolate Peppermint Creme Cups
Day 2: Chocolate-Dipped Wafer Cookies
Day 3: Gingerbread madeleines
Day 4: Funfetti Cookies
Day 5: Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Day 6: Coffee Financiers
Day 7: No-Bake Strawbery Cheesecake Cups
Day 8: Holiday Joys
Day 9: Holiday Spice Marmalade
Day 10: Soft Molasses Cookies
Day 11: Coconut Roughs
Day 12: Holiday Lights Jam Sandwich Cookies
Check out 2021’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Speculoos financiers
Day 2: Chocolate Dipped Orange Sugar Cookies
Day 3: Madeleines à la Clémentine
Day 4: Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
Day 5: Sunbutter and Jam Chocolate Cups
Day 6: Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies
Day 7: Linzer Cookies
Day 8: Chocolate-Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Day 9: Choc-Mint Thumbprint Cookies
Day 10: Pailles (Puff Pastry and Jam Cookies)
Day 11: Strawberry Santa Hats
Day 12: Mulled Wine Jam
Check out 2020’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Rice Krispie Wreaths
Day 2: Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Day 3: Peppermint Bark
Day 4: Orangettes
Day 5: Rocky Road Chocolate Crackle Slice
Day 6: Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Day 7: Orange Pim’s
Day 8: Mendiants
Day 9: Chewy Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies
Day 10: Apricot, Coconut and Cranberry “truffles”
Day 11: Chocolate, Cherry and Almond Brownies
Day 12: Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Check out 2019’s 12 Days of Holiday Cookies:
Day 1: Easy Three Ingredient Shortbread
Day 2: Jam Drops
Day 3: Chocolate Caramel Slice
Day 4: Melting Moments
Day 5: White Christmas
Day 6: Langues de Chat
Day 7: Chocolate Coconut Slice
Day 8: Cornflake Biscuits
Day 9: Rocky Road
Day 10: Honey Joys
Day 11: Rum Ball Truffles
Day 12: Giant Florentine Cookie (to share)
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