Peach Tartlets

These peach tartlets feature a sweet, buttery crust made with all-purpose or gluten-free flour. They’re filled with a no-bake, cheesecake-style filling and topped with fresh peaches and a touch of apricot jam.

Ingredients

For the crust:

▢ 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour see notes
▢ 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
▢ 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/2" cubes
▢ 1 large egg yolk
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1-2 tablespoons milk see notes

For the topping:

▢ 6 ounces (169 grams) cream cheese room temp, see notes
▢ 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ pinch of salt
▢ 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream cold

For brushing on:

▢ 1-2 tablespoons apricot jam
▢ water just enough to make the warmed apricot jam runny enough to brush on the peaches. This amount depends on your jam
▢ 1-2 peaches sliced, for decorating your tartlets

Instructions

Prepare the crust:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour, 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter
In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, vanilla, and just 1 tablespoon of milk (ignore the amount below - it's a technical issue I can't fix). Stir this into the dry ingredients.
1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons milk
Use your hands to work the dough a bit and to bring the dough together. The dough should be crumbly but cohesive when squeezed. It won’t form a ball or a loose ball like with pie dough.
I placed a piece of plastic wrap in a mixing bowl and then dumped the dough into there and wrapped it up into a very loose, crumbly disc.
Chill for 1 hour or up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Grease 4 mini tart pans with removable bottoms.
Take a fourth of the dough crumbles (I used 91 grams, but I used the extra tablespoon of milk - if you follow the recipe exactly, you can use 88 grams) and place in the pan.
Press up the sides and evenly over the bottom of the pan. Do the same with the other 3 tart pans.
Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Towards the end of the chill time, preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and place a baking sheet large enough to fit all 4 tartlets in the lower third of your oven.
After 30 minutes of chilling, place the tartlets directly onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating halfway through if you notice them browning too quickly in certain areas, until the sides are nicely browned and the bottom has browned a bit.
Remove the baking sheet and tartlets from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour (get started on Step 15 during this time). The crusts will crumble if you try to remove them from their pans while still warm. If making ahead of time, you can put the cooled crusts in an airtight container and store at room temp for up to 3 days or refrigerate for 5 days.
Once cooled, unmold the crust - the removable bottom is going to stick to the bottom for now, and that’s okay.
While it’s cooling, prepare the topping.

For the filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt using an electric hand mixer at medium speed until completely combined.
6 ounces (169 grams) cream cheese, 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt
While still mixing, now on low, gradually add the heavy cream.
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
Once it’s well incorporated, turn the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form - about 3 to 5 minutes. Place in the fridge until ready to assemble the tarts. The topping can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance or frozen for up to 1 month.
Spoon in the filling. It yields about 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups (277 grams), so you should have enough for at least 1/4 cup (70 grams) per tart.
The filled tarts can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. They don't get soggy during that time, and I think I even prefer them on the second day. If you chill them for 4+ hours and let the topping soak in a bit, they’re much less crumbly, and you can easily remove the removable bottom from the tartlet.

Top them:

The day of serving, slice a peach and arrange the slices neatly on top of the topping.
1-2 peaches
Warm the apricot jam in a small bowl in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Add enough water to make it runny enough to brush over the peaches. You just need a very small amount.
1-2 tablespoons apricot jam, water
Let cool a few minutes and then brush over the peaches.

Notes

For the flour, you can use all-purpose, whole wheat, or for gluten-free, use King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour.
You might need up to another tablespoon of milk to get the dough together. If it's too dry with 1 tablespoon of milk, add a teaspoon at a time rather than dumping in another full tablespoon.
If you live outside the US or Canada, you likely only have access to cream cheese packaged in small tubs designed for spreading on toast, rather than the brick-style variety sold in North America. You'll need to use 225 grams of that toast cream cheese to yield the 6 ounces (169 grams) of brick-style cream cheese needed for this recipe. Place the 225 grams of toast cream cheese in the center of a clean tea towel or cheesecloth (a paper towel won't suffice), and squeeze out the excess liquid until you have 169 grams of cream cheese.
The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.