Mini Mandarin Tarts in Gingerbread Cookie Cups
Mini Mandarin Tarts feature sweet, creamy mandarin curd layered into crisp gingerbread cookie cups. The tangy citrus pairs so well with gingerbread, delivering a bright, sunny flavor with a holiday twist. Makes 18 small tarts.
Servings: 18
Equipment
Ingredients
Mandarin Curd
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed mandarin juice (about 3 large mandarins)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about half of a small a lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced into 14 pieces
Gingerbread Cookie Cups
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 11 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon molasses
Assembly
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- candied orange slices or fresh mandarin sections for garnish
- dried rose petals for garnish
Instructions
Mandarin Curd
- Whisk together sugar and eggs in a small to medium saucepan. Add citrus juices and salt, whisking until smooth.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to the consistency of loose pudding, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Add butter, a couple of slices at a time, whisking constantly until completely melted and smooth.
- Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a small clean bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mandarin curd and refrigerate until well chilled, at least two hours and up to two days.
Gingerbread Cookie Cups
- Whisk flour, salt, and spices in a bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, combine butter and brown sugar with the paddle attachment, beating until light and fluffy. Add honey and molasses and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, mixing until the dough comes together.
- Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap it tightly with plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour (or up to two days) before continuing. Let the dough sit for a a few minutes at room temperature before rolling.
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly grease 18 wells in standard-sized muffin tins.
- On a generously floured surface, roll dough to a thickness between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. Using a 3¾-to 4-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter, stamp out 18 flowers (re-roll scraps if needed).
- Gently transfer the dough to muffin tins, tucking each flower into one of the cups. With a toothpick or sharp skewer, prick holes in the dough around the bottom edge of the cup, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart, adding a few holes in the center as well.
- Bake until the cookies feel just set and begin to brown around top edge, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the muffin pans for about 5 minutes. Loosen the cups with a thin metal spatula before allowing them to cool completely in the muffin pans.
Assembly
- Once the cups have cooled completely, pipe or spoon prepared mandarin curd into them and chill uncovered until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, beat heavy cream with confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until it just holds stiff peaks.
- Pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top of each tart. Garnish with candied orange wedges or fresh mandarin sections and sprinkle with dried rose petals, if desired.