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Mini Shortbread Tarts (Nana's Tarts) |  |
Another "Dainty" from My Canadian Heritage. A Long, Long Long-Time Family Favorite. A Meal Prep Favorite, Keep (& Even Improve) for Weeks & Even Months. Just Five Ingredients & Thirty Minutes Hands-On Time. A New Addition to The Homemade Pantry, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Budget Friendly. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two & Also Potluck & Party Friendly. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!
A Pool-Side Party Determined the Name of an Old, Old Family Recipe.
Once upon a time, my friend Marty and I lounged by her pool on the Fourth of July. For Missouri, for July, it was unusually cool that day. Charmed by the weather, we decided to throw a poolside party in a couple of weeks, a mix-match of her friends and my friends.
The day of the party? It was a brutal 100 degrees.
Two hours before party-time, Marty called in a panic: her power was off. Should we move the party? That would also mean transporting all the food we'd cooked that was staged in her refrigerator, to my house, just a few miles away, a daunting task.
What was more daunting? Reaching everyone.
How communication has changed! Today, we'd just text everyone of the last-minute change-of-location and that would be that. But back then, it was inconceivable that in a couple of hours we could simultaneously (1) physically move the party and (2) reach everyone.
And who was to say that my house wouldn't lose power too?
But whew, it all turned out.
The power came back on and our friends got along famously, it was one of the best parties I've ever thrown!
For dessert, I'd made a bazillion Mini Shortbread Tarts, the tin labelled with a yellow sticky reading "Nana's Tarts". When our friend Jim walked around with a trayful, someone asked, "What are those?" He checked the sticky note and reported, "Nana's Tarts".
As word (and the little tarts) spread, there was a kind of buzz, Nana's Tarts, Nana's Tarts, Nana's Tarts.
"Have you tried a Nana's Tart yet?"
"I've had three. But I'm getting another. They're amazing!"
I like to think that Nana (she was my mom's mom, my Canadian grandmother) approved. She loved a good party and over the years, she was famous for making tiny little shortbread tarts. Her daughter, my beloved Auntie Gloria, did too. My Canadian cousins still do.
But it took a party in Missouri for the tarts to take on the name, forever and ever.
"Nana's Tarts" it shall be.
Recipe Overview: Mini Shortbread Tarts (Nana's Tarts)
- These sweet butter-pastry tarts are sturdy little shortbread pastry shells, mixed in a food processor, baked in a mini muffin pan, stored for weeks and even months without turning stale, filled with a smidgin of cream cheese, a dollop of Brown Sugar Lemon Curd and often, a pop of fruit like a blueberry or raspberry. The recipe comes my Canadian grandmother, hence the name "Nana's Tarts". They're extra-pretty on a dainty tray of small, bite-size sweets.
- When to Serve = So versatile! Fill one or two tarts on a whim. Or. Bake the tarts days and even weeks ahead, make the Lemon Curd up to a few days ahead, then fill a tray in the morning, serve that night. They don't get soggy!
- Short Ingredient List = Salted Butter + Powdered Sugar + Flour + Vanilla & Almond Extract
- For Garnish = For extra prettiness, top the Lemon Curd with a blueberry or a raspberry or maybe a couple of pomegranate seeds and a mint leaf or even just a thin strip of lemon zest.
- Kitchen Tools = You'll need a food processor to mix the dough and a non-stick mini muffin tin for baking the tarts. A "tart tamper" is also useful though it's not hard to find something to serve the same purpose. A cake tester is also useful for prying out the occasional tart which wants to stay put in the pan without risk of breaking it. For more information, please see Special Tools, below.
- Hands-On Time = These little tarts look like they might be fussy and time-consuming to make. Not so! Mix the dough itself in about 10 minutes, shape the tarts in about 15 minutes, then bake in about 15 minutes. Really! There are two stints of chilling time, be sure to allow for these because they make all the difference.
- Total Time = Allow about two hours, start to finish, including the chilling time between hands-on steps.
- Tasting with our Eyes = Any dainty dessert is by rights "cute" but to my eyes, these little tarts are cute as a button, just a couple of bites big!
- Texture = The tart shells are crisp and sturdy but not tough.
- Taste = The tart shells are buttery but not greasy, sweet but not sugary.
- Techniques = The tarts do use a couple of nuanced techniques, I've embedded these tips into the full recipe. Follow them, you've got these nailed.
- Shop Your Pantry = This is a pantry-friendly recipe, I'm willing to bet that nearly all bakers have all the ingredients on hand, right now.
- Watching Our Waistlines = Mini desserts are calorie-friendly by their size alone.
- Staying Cost Conscious = This is a budget-friendly recipe, no hard-to-find or pricey ingredients to shop for or order online.
- Makes = 24 miniature tarts, perfect for a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
- Small Households = This recipe works especially well for those Cooking for One or Two. How, you wonder? Because the tarts keep! You could eat one a week and six months later, the last one would still taste fresh.
- So good! I hope you love these!
- If you like my Mini Shortbread Tarts, check out my Mini Blueberry Tarts too. They've got a "pop" of fresh blueberry right in the middle.
- Of if you're looking for another Canadian treat, Butter Tart Bars. Traditionally, butter tarts are individual small pastries filled with a nut/raisin mixture similar to a pecan pie. Mine takes an easier (if controversial?) bar route.
- Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other mini desserts.
Helpful Special Tools
- Food Processor for mixing, I'm liking this one from Cuisinart (affiliate link). FYI I've also mixed the dough in a stand mixer but it takes a lot of stopping and scraping, the food processor needs none. Still, it's a good substitute for someone without a food processor.
- Scale for Measuring Ingredients and Tart Dough, I've used this Escali kitchen scale (affiliate link) several times a day for many years. I can't imagine cooking, let alone baking without one! It's a real workhorse.
- Mini Muffin Pan, I love this one from Williams Sonoma. If your mini muffin pan is on the older side, consider purchasing a new one especially if you have trouble getting the tarts to release. It took me a couple of years to figure out why, suddenly, my Mini Tarts were sticking. The culprit was an aging/aged muffin pan.
- Something to "Tamp" the Dough into little miniature tart cups, I use this wood tart tamper (affiliate link).
- Something to help the tarts release from the muffin pan, I use a cake tester (affiliate link).
- A Lemon Stripper is a special inexpensive tool used to cut thin pretty lengths of lemon peel, look for something like this lemon stripper & channel knife (affiliate link).
How to Make Mini Shortbread Tarts ("Nana's Tarts")
The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in six easy-to-learn steps. You can do this!
- MIX THE DOUGH I use a food processor, it takes just ten minutes, really, super-speedy. I've also used a stand mixer but have come to prefer the food processor.
- CHILL THE DOUGH FOR 30 MINUTES Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap with wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate. This brief time makes the dough easier to work with. If you go over 30 minutes, you may need to let the dough soften at room temperature for a few minutes to make it pliable and workable.
- FORM THE MINI TARTS Separate the dough into 24 pieces. I'm a stickler for consistency, so always weigh the dough in grams, divide by 24 and that tells me how big each piece of dough should be, usually 12 grams. Then I start breaking off small bits of dough, aiming for that 12 grams. It's amazing, how quickly your fingers become adept at breaking off just the right amount. If not, take away a bit or add a bit, getting right to that 12 grams, say.
- One by one, roll each piece between your balls to form a round ball, working gently to avoid compressing the dough. Then flatten the ball, just a bit and drop into the cups of a mini muffin pan.
- Once all the cups are filled, the dough will have become slightly softer. Now it's time to again use your hands, in this case, the pointer finger, to shape that slightly flattened ball of dough into a tart. Just insert your finger into the dough, spreading the dough up the sides, working to have an equal amount of dough on the bottom and the sides. It may seem fiddly at first but again, your hands will find their own rhythm. I find it helpful to rotate the mini muffin pan as I work.
- You can definitely do this, the dough is lovely to work with and perfection isn't required, you're really just giving the tart shapes a little head start.
- CHILL AGAIN FOR 30 MINUTES This helps the dough keep the tart shapes once it goes in the oven. If you chill longer, no problem, but please don't skimp on this time.
- BAKE FOR 10 MINUTES Midway through the chilling time, heat the oven to 350F/175C. Bake the tarts for just 10 minutes.
- "TAMP" THE TARTS Pull the pan out of the oven and use a tamp (see Special Tools) or something similar to gently press the tarts, setting their final shape. Do be gentle, the dough is soft from the oven so it takes just one quick press to refine the tart's architecture.
- RETURN TO THE OVEN Bake for another five minutes, plus a minute or two more if needed for the top edges to turn golden.
- LET COOL Let the tarts cool to room temperature, just 10 or 15 minutes is plenty. Gently remove the tarts from the mini muffin pan, lifting out each one individually rather than upending the whole pan onto the counter. If a tart sticks a bit, use a cake tester or a thin knife (see Special Tools) to gently insert between the tart and the pan, twisting a bit and the tart will release.
- THAT'S IT! You can definitely do this, I mean it!
So Pretty on a Plate ...
Little lemon tarts are a special treat. And while it's 100% acceptable (and known to happen lol) to just make a tart or two to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book, these guys are really easy to style with just simple serving pieces.
Just a Few on a Small Plate ...
... Or on a Pretty Tray
For a Bridal Shower or Baby Shower ...
And Even at Christmas ...
You Might Wonder Be Wondering ...
Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!
- Can you buy little tarts like this? Maybe. My Canadian cousins swear by the frozen tarts from TenderFlake, the Canadian company that makes the coveted TenderFlake non-hydrogenated lard that makes extra-good pie crusts. World Market sells something that has good reviews. Walmart sells something that has terrible reviews, mostly for breakage but also many for people surprised at the small size, not realizing that, well, the size is the (Canadian) point!
For Best Results
For my weekly column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I interviewed chefs and translated their restaurant recipes for home kitchens. The most illuminating question? "How can a home cook ensure the same results?" So now I ask that question of myself, too, for my own recipes. Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!
Your Muffin Pan Can Be a Frustration or a Godsend Harumph. This recipe was ready to share at least five years ago, really I was just scaling and tweaking an old family recipe.
Then all of a sudden, I started having trouble: the tarts were sticking! I couldn't get them to reliably release. At first, just a few stuck but once, I lost an entire pan. (Don't worry, they didn't go to waste. Shortbread crumbs are a great crispy topping.)
I tested one potential solution after another, growing increasingly frustrated when nothing worked.
Along the way, I started to collect GoldTouch bakeware from Williams Sonoma and loved the first couple of pieces. (Not sponsored, just me, sharing my own experience!) So I bought a new GoldTouch mini muffin pan. Problem 100% solved!
So consider your muffin pan before getting started, a new one may be in order.
Why I Love This Recipe & You Might Too
Why would anyone go to the trouble of making miniature tarts from scratch? Here are a few reasons. Why do you make it? Let me know in the comments!
- SIMPLE INGREDIENTS Just five ingredients, no preservatives, no wonky fats, no weird flavors.
- EVERYDAY INGREDIENTS Just butter, powdered sugar, flour, salt and vanilla/almond extract. Bakers, don't you already have these on hand?!
- THEY KEEP! I can't over-emphasize this point. Like shortbread cookies, these little tarts keep for not just days but also weeks and even months. Even the lemon curd keeps for a good couple of weeks.
- USEFUL It's nice to have a quick-to-make little sweet treat at the ready, for an afternoon pick-me-up, to end a meal, for a late-night coffee.
- VERSATILE How many recipes are as good for one or two (over time ...) as for a crowd (all at once)? Really. Ask yourself.
- BELOVED In my Canadian family, little lemon tarts are beloved, ones we all make. In my American family, they have become a most-requested sweet treat!
- UNUSUAL And yet, I love that for many people, tiny tarts filled with lemon curd are out-of-the-ordinary, something to be noticed and remarked upon.
- Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!
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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...
MINI SHORTBREAD TARTS ("Nana's Tarts")
Time to table: about 2 hours
Makes 24 mini tarts
- 1/2 cup (4oz/114g/usually 1 stick) salted butter, cut in 8 pieces, warmed to room temperature on the counter for 1 hour
- 7 tablespoons (55g) powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 125g
- ½ teaspoon table salt (omit with salted butter)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or more vanilla
-
FOR SERVING, per Mini Tart
- A tiny dollop of cream cheese or Greek yogurt
- A spoonful of Brown Sugar Lemon Curd
-
GARNISH IDEAS (optional but pretty)
- A swirl of lemon zest
- A single blueberry (my favorite)
- A single raspberry or small blackberry
- A sliver of strawberry
- A dollop of whipped cream plus a fruit on the side
- Two little pomegranate seeds plus a mint leaf, especially pretty at Christmas
MIX DOUGH (Very quick, allow about 10 minutes.) In a food processor, pulse the powdered sugar, flour and salt two or three times, just enough to mix. Remove the lid and distribute the 8 pieces of butter evenly across the top. Pulse (pressing the "on" button again and again vs running continuously) several times, watching what's happening with the dough. At first, the dough will appear hopelessly dry and floury but after a bit, it will turn to wet sand.
As the dough reaches the wet-sand stage, add the vanilla and almond extract. Continue pulsing, soon the dough will form small clumps and shortly thereafter, large clumps. Time to quit!!
CHILL DOUGH FOR 30 MINUTES With your hands, shape the dough into a flat disk. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. TIP: Any less time, the dough is soft and more difficult to work with; if so, return to the fridge to chill a bit longer. Any more time, the dough may be hard and a little crumbly and difficult to work with; if so, let it warm at room temperature for a few minutes until easier to handle.
FORM MINI TARTS (Allow about 15 minutes.) Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. TIP: For precision, weigh the dough disk in grams on a kitchen scale, divide by 24. Break off 24 pieces of that weight in grams, you'll be surprised how quickly your fingers learn to break off the exact proper weight within a gram or two. TIP: Because of rounding issues, it's possible to end up a tart short or even a tart long.
Without compressing the dough, roll each piece between the palms of your hands to form a round ball, flatten a bit and drop into the cup of a mini muffin tart. Finish all 24 before continuing.
With the tip of a pointer finger (next to the thumb), press each piece of dough evenly against the sides and the bottom of the cup to form a mini tart, pushing the dough to the top edge of the cup, smoothing the top edge of the dough to form a neat finish. The first few may feel unwieldy but soon, your fingers will understand their job. TIPS: If the dough sticks to your finger a bit, rub it in a little powdered sugar. It helps to rotate the muffin pan to get better access into the small cups. Don't stress about perfection here. The dough is forgiving plus there's another chance to perfect the tarts with the tamping process.
CHILL FOR ANOTHER 30 MINUTES Refrigerate the muffin pan for 30 minutes.
BAKE, TAMP & FINISH BAKING Heat the oven to 350F/175C.
Bake the tarts for 10 minutes. (Leave the oven on, they'll go back in after tamping.)
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately use a "tamp" (see Special Tools) to gently press into each tart, flattening the bottom, pressing against the sides. TIP: Use a light touch with the tamping tool, shaping the hot dough more than pressing it to adhere to the muffin tin.
Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the tarts are firm and either light gold or deep gold.
COOL & RELEASE Let the tarts cool completely. Insert a fine knife (see Special Tools) between the edge of the tart pan and the tart, gently twist to release tart from the pan.
STORE Store the tarts in an airtight container, separating the layers with waxed paper. The tarts keep several months – really! They stay amazingly fresh and in fact, like Family Shortbread, even improve over time. The tarts may also be frozen but honestly, I never freeze them because they keep so well just kept in a tin in the cookie drawer, ready for a tart or two on a whim's notice.
Confused about salt, these days? No wonder, it is confusing. Check my FAQs for an explanation. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2025/05/mini-shortbread-tarts.html .
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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna