Whole Wheat Berries and Cream Tartlets

I know that there have been quite a few berry recipes filling up the blog lately, but how can you possibly resist all those plump, juicy little guys while they're fresh and in season?  I don't think you can; you just have to jump on the opportunity to use as many of them as possible and savor summer at its best. That's where these tartlets come in ➝ fresh berries galore. ♡

Now, the truth is that I originally intended for these to be vegan (the crust is, and that's a major first step), but every attempt I've given to make a vegan pastry cream has failed me miserably, and after one too many fails I decided to take the simple way out and go with freshly whipped cream instead. It actually turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise; adding some berry preserves to the cream gives it a fruity sweetness that amps up the overall flavor of the tarts, and - let's be real - berries and cream together are never a bad idea. You could even use canned coconut milk and keep the entire recipe vegan! It'll require a bit of planning ahead since your coconut milk needs to be cold cold colddddd, but if vegan is a must for you, it's an easy fix.

The tart crust bakes up with a shortbread-like texture, but a bit softer and lighter, and the sweetness is bumped up by preserves brushed on top and a big dollop of berry whipped cream filling each one. Then, we pile the whole thing with fresh berries (use whatever kind you'd like!) to add juiciness and really wake up all the flavors. What you get is a perfect summer dessert: light fruity, and refreshing to the max.

Whole Wheat Berries and Cream Tartlets

Mini tarts with a light, shortbread-like crust, filled with sweet berry whipped cream and topped with plenty of fresh, juicy berries - a perfect summer dessert!

• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 5 (4 ½") tartlets 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crust

• 4 ¼ ounces (1 cup, spoon and level) whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 ounces (½ cup) almond flour
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• (½ cup) unrefined coconut oil (solid state)
• 2-3 ounces (4-6 tablespoons) ice water

Glaze

• 2 ⅝ ounces (¼ cup) berry preserves*
• 1 tablespoon water

Berry Whipped Cream

• 8 ¼ ounces (1 cup) heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons berry preserves

Topping and Garnish

• fresh berries*
• fresh mint sprigs, optional

Instructions

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease five (4 ½") tartlet pans with nonstick spray. Set on a baking sheet.
2. In a bowl, whisk together pastry flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry cutter until mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large chunks of coconut oil remaining. Fold in 4 tablespoons ice water. Add remaining 2 tablespoons as needed to form a soft dough; be careful not to overwork.
3. Divide dough into 5 equal portions and lightly roll each into a ball. Press into tart pans to cover bottoms and sides, keeping thickness even throughout. Prick bottom of each tartlet 4-5 times with a fork.
4. Bake tartlets in preheated oven on baking sheet for 15-18 minutes, until tops are turning light golden. Brush lightly with glaze and let cool completely.

Glaze

1. Combine preserves and water in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. Microwave briefly (about 10-20 seconds) to thin out before brushing on crusts.

Berry Whipped Cream

1. Pour cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or use a bowl and handheld electric mixer). Beat on medium-high speed until thickened. Add preserves and continue to beat just until cream holds peaks.

Assembly

1. Fill tarts with cream, smoothing out surface with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Carefully remove sides of pans from tarts. Top each with a pile of berries and drizzle remaining glaze on top. Garnish with mint if desired.
2. Tartles are best served fresh, but any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*Feel free to use any combination of berry preserves and fresh berries; I used blueberry preserves and fresh raspberries for the tartlets in the photos.

Crust adapted from Better Nutrition Magazine, May 2012.

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