The perfect classic shortcrust pastry for cookies and tarts is a very simple recipe to make, with a very crumbly texture.
If you are looking for a perfect and easy-to-work shortcrust pastry, try this sweet pastry dough for cookies and tarts, easy and well-tested.
My extremely crumbly shortcrust pastry remains fragrant, flavorful, and sweet just right from the first bite to the last slice.
It is one of the most used basic preparations in pastry, appreciated for its versatility and its crumbly, buttery consistency.
Making it at home is simple and requires few ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and eggs.
The dough must be worked quickly to avoid heating the butter and compromising its crumbliness. After forming a homogeneous dough block, it is essential to let it rest in the refrigerator, allowing the butter to solidify and the aromas to blend, for a perfectly workable and flavorful shortcrust pastry.
Work the ingredients as little as possible, just until you get a homogeneous dough.
If kneading by hand, use cold ingredients and don’t spend too much time with your hands in the dough.
You can use a stand mixer or a food processor with a blade, always working briefly.
If you want it even crumblier, try to sand flour and butter before adding the other ingredients.
As for the aroma, I used the grated zest of a lemon, but feel free to use other citrus peels you prefer, vanilla, almond extract, or a pinch of cinnamon!
Once cooked, it will be delicious on the palate, crumbly with every bite.
Try it soon, and you’ll see you’ll always prepare tarts with this type of shortcrust pastry!
It’s the ideal base for a wide range of desserts: from classic jam or cream tarts to decorated cookies, to tartlets filled with fresh fruit or chocolate.
I love preparing these kinds of desserts; I find it very relaxing.
With various cooking times in the oven and air fryer.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 9 People
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 517.31 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 59.67 (g) of which sugars 24.72 (g)
- Proteins 7.33 (g)
- Fat 29.11 (g) of which saturated 18.06 (g)of which unsaturated 10.77 (g)
- Fibers 1.12 (g)
- Sodium 124.49 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Classic Shortcrust Pastry
- 11 oz oz butter (cold)
- 8 oz oz sugar (or erythritol)
- 1 pinch salt
- 3.5 oz oz egg yolks (approximately 5)
- 4 cups cups all-purpose flour
- g lemon (Grated lemon zest)
Tools
- Bowl
- Pastry Board
Steps
Classic Shortcrust Pastry
Begin to prepare the classic shortcrust pastry:
First, start with sanding: in a bowl, pour the sifted flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, and the cold fridge butter cut into coarse cubes, and the grated zest of a lemon.
Work to obtain a sandy-looking mixture.
Add the egg yolks.
Then start mixing everything.
Knead briefly, just enough to compact the dough for a perfect shortcrust.
Form a dough block and wrap it in plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes.Once rested, take the dough, and on a floured work surface, roll out the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
With the help of a cookie cutter of the shape you prefer, form your cookies, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, or make tarts with Nutella or jam or ricotta filling.
Bake the cookies obtained in the preheated oven at 350°F for about 13-15 minutes, and the tarts always at 350°F for about 35 minutes.(Obviously, cooking times may vary according to the size and thickness you give, so always check).
With this recipe, you can prepare many types of cookies, horseshoes, bull’s eyes, Danish cookies.
You will get fragrant and crumbly cookies and tarts, simply dusted with powdered sugar or glazed with chocolate.
At this point, your tarts or cookies made with the classic shortcrust pastry dough will be ready to be enjoyed.
Tips and Notes
Once kneaded, the shortcrust pastry must rest in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes. This step is important because:
The butter solidifies
The gluten relaxes
The dough compacts and will be easier to roll out
For more precise tarts or cookies, you can also let it rest overnight: it improves workability and flavor.
Cold shortcrust pastry is easier to roll out, but it can break if too stiff.
Let it soften for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before using.
To prevent sticking:
Dust the surface with a little flour
Or roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper
In baking:
350°F is the ideal temperature for most preparations
Blind baking (i.e., without filling) involves covering the base with parchment paper and dried beans to prevent it from puffing up
Cooking in an air fryer. Place the tart in the air fryer basket and cook at 320°F for 20 minutes.
If making cookies, watch the edges: when they start to brown, they’re done.
If you liked this recipe, click on many stars, thank you infinitely.
I’m waiting for you in my group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/488624465780860
or on my page: https://www.facebook.com/gustoamoreefantasie
Return to Home page
Return to Home page
