How to Do Something Your Don Know: How to Make Egg Tarts

While there are many variations of egg tarts, the Chinese style are the most popular. The basic premise is the same, however: after tucking disks of dough into tart tins, you fill them with custard, then bake them. Once you get the hang of the basic process, you can experiment with other types of dough, such as puff pastry.

EditIngredients

Tart Shells

11 tablespoons (156 g) of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (115 g) of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups (150 g) of all-purpose flour

Custard Filling

1/2 cup (115 g) of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon of salt
of milk
of heavy cream
8 large yolks
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Makes 16 tarts

EditSteps

EditCreating the Shells

Grease a muffin pan or 16 tart tins. This recipe makes enough dough and custard for 16 tarts. You can use a 12 cup muffin pan, but then you’ll have to bake the remaining 4 tarts in a separate batch.^[1] Alternatively, you can use 16 foil tart tins instead.^[2]
- If you're using tart tins, place them on a baking sheet. This will make them easier to take in and out of the oven.
- You can use pre-made tart shells if you want to. Make sure that you purchase the raw kind that you still have to bake however.
Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Place 11 tablespoons (156 g) of softened, unsalted butter into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup (115 g) of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir the ingredients together with a whisk until they are evenly combined.^[3]
- When measuring out the butter, refer to the tablespoon markings on the packaging. You can also use a kitchen scale.
- Don’t just dump the entire stick of butter into the bowl. Cut it up into 11 pieces first. This will make it easier to mix.
- You can use a premade dough instead. Choose a tart-shell dough or a puff pastry dough.
Mix in the egg, then the flour, until the texture is consistent. Add 1 large egg to the bowl and give it a stir with a whisk. Next, add in 1 1/2 cups (150 g) of all-purpose flour, and mix it in as well. Keep mixing until the ingredients come together to form a dough.^[4]
- You may have to knead the dough by hand towards the end to ensure that everything comes together.
Roll the dough into 16 equal-sized balls. Pat the dough out into a large square, then cut it into 16 smaller squares. Roll each square into a ball.^[5]
- You can also just pull off tufts of dough and roll them into balls instead.
Flatten the balls into thick disks. The easiest way to do this would be to roll them with a rolling pin, but you can also just squash them with the bottom of a drinking glass.^[6]
- Try to make the disks about thick.^[7]
Set the disks into the muffin cups or tart tins. Gently press the dough against the bottom and sides of each muffin cup or tart tin. If you're using a muffin pan, the dough will probably reach or so from the top edge of each cup. Don’t try to stretch the dough to make it fit.^[8]
- If you're using tart tins, the dough should reach the rim. Press the edges of the dough with a fork for a fancier touch.^[9]
- If you're using a muffin pan, you may have 4 disks left over. Stick these into the fridge for later.
Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Towards the end of the chilling time, you can start preparing the custard. Don’t start too soon, however. Once you finish the custard, you want to get it into the oven as soon as possible.^[10]
- If you're using individual tart tins, place them onto a baking sheet first.

EditMaking the Custard

Preheat your oven to . Move the rack towards the bottom-middle portion of the oven.^[11]
Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pour 1/2 cup (115 g) of granulated sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Stir everything together with a whisk until the texture is uniform.^[12]
- If you can’t find cornstarch, look for corn flour instead. It’s the same thing.
Mix in the milk, cream, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Pour of milk into the sugar mixture, then add of heavy cream. Separate the yolks from 8 eggs, then add them into the bowl as well. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, then stir everything together with a whisk.^[13]
- Make sure that you're using 8 egg yolks, not 8 yolks and whites.
- Stir enough so that the yolks break and turn pale yellow.
Strain the custard 2 times through a fine, mesh strainer. Set a fine, mesh strainer over a medium-sized bowl, then pour the custard mixture through it. Discard any curds caught in the strainer, then set it over the first bowl. Pour the custard back into the bowl through the strainer.^[14]
- This will help remove any clumps or solids and ensure a smooth, silky texture.
Pour the custard into each cup. Don’t fill the cups all the way, however; stop when you're about from the top edge. If you fill the cups all the way to the top, the custard will overflow when you bake it.^[15]
- If you're using a muffin pan, you’ll have some custard left over. Put this into the fridge so that it doesn’t spoil while you bake the first batch of egg tarts.

EditBaking the Tarts

Bake the egg tarts for 10 to 15 minutes. The key to perfect egg tarts is to bake them at a slowly-decreasing temperature. The tarts may still appear raw at this point. Instead, look at the edges of the tart shells; they're ready when they start to turn a light, golden-brown.^[16]
Reduce the temperature to and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch the egg tarts closely towards the end of the baking time. If the custard starts to puff up, open the oven door a crack.^[17]
- If you let the custard puff up during baking, it will become too hot and collapse when you finish the tarts.
Stick a toothpick into a tart to test for doneness. The tarts are done if the toothpick can stand up on its own. If the toothpick can’t stand up on its own, let the tarts bake for another 5 minutes or so.^[18]
Take the egg tarts out of the oven and let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes. It would be best if you could do this on a wire cooling rack, but you can do it on another heat-safe surface too. Once the tarts have cooled, you can take them out of the muffin pan.
- Foil tins have a crinkled texture, which can cause the tarts to stick. It’s better to just leave them there.
Repeat the process to bake more tarts, if needed. Take the custard out of the fridge and let it return to room temperature. Press the remaining 4 disks into 4 muffin cups, then add the custard. Bake them at for 10 to 15 minutes, then at for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- If you used individual tart tins, then you probably don’t need to do this, unless you ran out of tins.
Serve the tarts warm, cold, or at room temperature. They taste the best the same day that you made them. Store any leftovers in the fridge, and enjoy them within 3 days. You can reheat the leftovers in the oven for a few minutes.^[19]