Description

Mini egg tarts with a flaky buttery crust and silky smooth rich egg custard filling are a delicious Hong Kong pastry served as dessert with dim sum.

Ingredients

For the pastry dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (120 grams), cold and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (25 grams)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ice cold water

For the custard filling:

4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup hot water
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

In a food processor, add flour, cubed butter, confectioners' sugar and salt. Pulse mix on and off for one minute, until the consistency of the flour mixture turns into small breadcrumbs.
Drizzle ice water into the mixture (ice water is the key here). Close the lid and continue to pulse mix on and off for another one minute. Squeeze the crumbs together with your hands. If they stick together, the dough is ready.
Transfer the crumb-like dough into a large ziploc bag. Squeeze the dough using your hands and bring all the loose crumbs together until it turns into a nice and smooth dough ball. You can use disposable gloves to make it easier.
Flatten the dough ball into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or rim of a glass) and cut out equal pieces of dough. Re-roll any scraps and repeat. You should be able to get about 24 pieces.
Carefully press each dough into the tins of a non-stick 24-cup mini muffin pan. Transfer the pan into the refrigerator and store until the custard filling ready.
Preheat the oven to 450F.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk to combine beaten eggs, hot water, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy and the sugar is fully dissolved. To achieve smooth and creamy custard, you can strain the filling through a fine mesh strainer to ensure that there are no lumps.
Remove the mini muffin pan from the refrigerator and slowly pour in the custard filling into the pastry dough shells, up to 3/4 full.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and the custard is set. You can test by inserting a toothpick into the the egg tart. If it can stand without falling over, then it is done. Allow the egg tarts to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then remove and serve warm.

Notes

Use COLD butter. Similar to any pastry pie dough, this is the key to getting a perfectly flaky crust. If the butter is too cold, it will melt too quickly when working with the dough and will not give you the flakiness that you want.

Use disposable gloves: Using disposable gloves when handling pie dough (rather than handling pie dough directly with bare hands) will also help prevent the butter in the dough from melting too quickly.

Refrigerate the dough. When not working with the dough (ie. when you have lined your mini muffin pan), always store it in the refrigerator to keep the butter from melting.

How to store. Place completely cooled egg tarts into an airtight container and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

How to reheat. Reheat egg tarts in a 300F preheated oven for 5 minutes or the air fryer for 2-3 minutes until just warm. Do not overheat.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: Asian