Blueberry Tartlets: Juicy and Buttery Shells of Goodness
Blueberry tartlets are the perfect treat: sweet, sour, juicy, buttery, and bite-sized. In fact, they’re so delicious that sticking to one or two can prove to be an unexpected challenge! Care to learn about blueberry tartlets and their creative variations out there? Read on!
Blueberry Tartlets: What’s in Them?
The traditional blueberry tarts most of us know and are fond of consist of a few simple ingredients. Usually, the filling contains fresh or frozen blueberries, or blueberry jam or jelly. Other ingredients include sugar, cornstarch for thickening, some lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. As for the tart shells, they are usually made of butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks, flour, and vanilla. There are tartlets with any kind of crust you can think of: shortbread, shortcrust, pâte brisée…you name it.
A blueberry and buttermilk custard Euro tartlet (Dufflet)
Sometimes, bakers add custard or yogurt to the blueberry tarts for more creaminess. Together, the filling and the shells produce a dessert whose texture is just right: the juicy simmered blueberries cut nicely through the flaky, buttery dough. As a result, the dairy and crust balance out sweet and sour flavours, as well as dry and juicy textures. Perfect paired with a glass of lemonade on those hot, lazy summer afternoons!
Besides classic blueberry tartlets, there are many other mini tarts with blueberries. Are you a fan of butter tarts, the quintessential Canadian sweet? Then you might just have to try some blueberry butter tarts! Like most butter tarts, the filling is a mixture of butter, sugar, syrup, and eggs – with blueberries added to the mix. Soft inside, crunchy on top, they are nearly impossible to resist! Saskatoon berry butter tarts, anyone?
Blueberry and cream cheese blend tartlets (Pablo Cheese Tart)
Blueberries also pair incredibly well with cheese, such as cream cheese or ricotta. We’ve even seen blueberry, brie, and walnut tarts! Cheese tastes so good with blueberries because it adds a pinch of saltiness and smoothness to the tangy taste of the berries. Blueberry and cheese tartlets will generally feature a cheesecake-like base, with whipping cream, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and cornstarch. This will be topped with blueberry filling, a simple mixture of blueberries, water, sugar, and cornstarch. For extra sweetness, look for blueberry tarts with honey in them!
Indonesian blueberry tart rolls (Cookies Vibe)
Blueberry tartlets even come in the most unexpected forms — just look at these colorful Indonesian blueberry tart rolls! Bakers make these with a mix of butter, powdered sugar, milk flour (skimmed milk transformed into a soluble powder), egg yolk, custard powder, corn flour, wheat flour and blueberries for the filling. These tart rolls are a tasty and fun way to enjoy blueberry tartlets differently!
Lemon blueberry tarts with a meringue topping, fresh blueberries and gold specks (Shop Desserts)
Last but not least in our selection are blueberry lemon tarts. These are a well-loved classic for a reason! Lemon and blueberries just go so well together: the zesty lemon brings out the slightly sour flavours from the blueberries. When paired with fresh custard or lemon curd, this combination makes for the freshest of summer desserts. A meringue topping ties the whole dessert together by adding a bit of airy sweetness.
Note that this list of blueberry tartlets is non-exhaustive… and we definitely listed them in no particular order! With so many delicious options, we could have a different blueberry tartlet for every day of the week. Whether you like blueberry custard tarts or blueberry cheese tartlets, you can find your favorite blueberry tarts here.
