Mini Plum Tarts are so quick to make and utterly delicious. Flaky pastry is topped with a sweet cream cheese mixture and slices of fresh plums. These tarts are perfect for brunch, dessert or with a cup of coffee. This is a simple recipe that looks impressive!
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Why we love this recipe:
Stone fruit season is such a delicious time of year, and these Mini Plum Tarts are a fantastic way to make the most of it. In fact, stone fruit of your choice can certainly be used in this recipe, as well as fruits such as apples or pears.
Taking around just 30 minutes, including preparation and cooking time, these tarts are fantastic to make for the arrival of unexpected guests or when you are after an easy and delicious sweet treat.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Puff Pastry – my preference is for butter puff pastry, but regular puff pastry is fine also. This is one ingredient I love to keep on hand in the freezer and prefer to buy rather than make from scratch!
Plums – fresh plums work so well in this recipe. You could also use apricots or peaches if you prefer.
Cream Cheese – smooth and creamy and is delicious in desserts.
Icing/Powdered Sugar – sweetens the cream cheese.
Egg – beaten egg adds shine and colour to baked goods, and gives the Demerara Sugar something to adhere to, which adds a delicious crunch to the edges of the pastry.
Vanilla and Lemon Zest – add delicious flavour to the tarts.
Step by Step Instructions:
You will need to start by pre-heating your oven and ensure that your pastry has defrosted.
- Combine the ingredients for the cream cheese mixture in a bowl. Prepare your plums.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut rounds out of the puff pastry sheet.
- Using a smaller cutter, cut a further round in the centre of the circle.
- Prick the centre of the pastry with a fork.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the centre of the pastry.
- Top the mixture with the slices of plums.
- Brush the edge of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
- Bake until golden perfection.
Tips for Success and FAQs:
Puff Pastry is a fantastic ingredient to have on hand. Whilst I generally prefer to make things from scratch, I draw the line at puff pastry. I find that the commercial varieties produce an excellent result and they save a great deal of time.
If you buy a roll of pastry, it is generally best to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Check the directions on the packet. Importantly, ensure that it has thawed before you attempt to unroll it or it will crack.
If you are using sheets of pastry, as I have here, you can thaw them quickly at room temperature. However, whether a roll or a sheet, the pastry must remain cold. When working with more than one sheet, keep what you are not using in the refrigerator.
The pastry should feel cold and slightly bendable and for best results, you must work quickly. If the pastry reaches room temperature, it will wilt and become droopy. Therefore, it will be almost impossible to work with.
We never throw out the pastry scraps, as they can make such a delicious snack, both sweet or savoury! For a sweet version, brush with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. For a savoury version, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and paprika or cayenne pepper. Both are baked on a tray lined with baking paper until they are golden. They may be a random shape, but they still taste fantastic!
Like many pastry dishes, the Plum Tarts are best enjoyed warm from the oven. However, the following day, they can certainly be warmed up in the oven to refresh them.
More delicious recipes for you to try:
Love stone fruit as much as we do? Here are some more of our favourite recipes we recommend giving a try:
- Easy Plum Jam
- Apricot Jam
- Fresh Peach Chutney
- Peach and Plum Crumble
- Spiced Poached Plums
- Peach and Mint Smoothie
- Fresh Peach Salsa
- Peach, Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins
- Apricot and Cream Cheese Pastry
I do hope you will try these delicious Mini Plum Tarts. They are perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee, or try with a scoop of our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream! I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Alex xx
This post was originally published in March 2019. It has been updated with new photos and more information. The recipe remains the same.
Mini Plum Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 sheets butter puff pastry – 22 ½ cm (9” square) See Note 1
- 170 g (6 oz) cream cheese – at room temperature
- 3 tablespoon icing/powdered sugar See Note 2
- ½ teaspoon fine lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 9 fresh plums See Note 3
- 1 egg – beaten
- 4 tablespoon demerara sugar See Note 2
Recipe Measurements:
For accuracy, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees C (400F).Set the frozen pastry aside to thaw. Do not allow it to become too soft. Return it to the fridge to keep cool if necessary.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the cream cheese, icing/powdered sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Using hand-held electric beaters or a stand mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Halve the plums and remove the stone.Using a sharp knife, cut each plum half in thin slices about ½ cm (⅛”). Set aside.
- Use a 7cm (2 ½“) round cookie cutter to cut 9 circles out of each sheet of pastry.
- Using a smaller cookie cutter, mark a circle about 1cm (¼“) in from the edges of the pastry circles.
- Use a fork to prick the pastry inside the smaller circle.
- Dab about a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the centre. Spread the filling inside the smaller circle of each pastry.
- Arrange the slices of plum on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Brush the edges of the pastries with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the edges of each pastry with about a half teaspoon of demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are a lovely golden brown.
- Gently lift the pastries onto a cooling rack.Allow the pastry to cool a few minutes before serving. The plum will be very hot.The pastries are lovely served warm with our Vanilla Ice Cream.
Notes
- Our preference is for butter puff pastry – it will produce a superior result. If you are unable to find it, however, regular puff pastry is fine. Always work with cold pastry. If it becomes too warm it will be difficult to work with and you will not achieve the best result. Place the pastry in the refrigerator to re-chill if necessary. See tips for pastry in the main text of the blog post.
- The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust your measurement if necessary.
- You may find the number of plums required will vary, depending on their size. I have used between 5-9 plums each time I have made this recipe.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on one plum tart. It does not include what the tart is served with. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Catherine
These were so yummy! They look so pretty too!
Alexandra
Thank you, Catherine!
Courtney
These tarts are almost too pretty to eat! So easy to make, yet so impressive too – perfect for easy entertaining.
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Courtney.
“almost” too pretty being the key word 😀 Enjoy xo
Robyn
These are so delicious – they look so impressive but are really easy to make, and perfect with a cup of coffee or scoop of ice cream!
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Robyn!
Denise
Can these be made the day before and heated just before serving?
Alexandra
Hi Denise – that should be fine!
Pastry does tend to soften a little the next day, but I would imagine the reheating should freshen the tarts up nicely.
Enjoy! 🙂
Jacqui Bellefontaine
These look totally delicious.
Alexandra
Hi Jacqui, these little Plum Tartlets are delicious; a great way to enjoy summer fruit. 🙂
Cindy
I was a bit nervous working with puff pastry but I found this recipe so easy to follow! I took your advice and dusted it with cinnamon sugar since it’s almost fall where I am! Absolutely delicious! I’m planning on making this again for a family get together later this week!
Alexandra
Cindy, I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the Mini Plum Tartlets. They really are very easy to make and so delicious! 🙂
cyndy
I was searching for an easy dessert for friends tonight and this was perfect. I love how easy they are and the puff pastry makes them look elegant! Great find!
Alexandra
Hi Cyndy, I am delighted that you like the Mini Plum Tartlets, thank you for letting me know. 🙂
LIsalia
The prettiest and most delicious tarts. The perfect recipe for this stone fruit. I usually eat plums by the handful when they’re in season. So excited that I can make something else yummy with them. Thank you for this deliicous recipe!
Alexandra
Thank you – I am really happy that you enjoyed the plum tartlets! I agree – plums are just so good!
Irina
I love this recipe for plum mini tartlets. So easy to make!
Alexandra
Thank you, Irina!
Priya Lakshminarayan
They look so pretty and tempting..love how easy it is to make! And they taste delicious!
Alexandra
Thank you for the kind words, Priya!