Creamy, caramelized, and wrapped in flaky pastry magic—right from your kitchen.
🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
⏳ Bake Time: 15–25 minutes
🍽️ Yields: 12 tarts
🛒 Ingredients
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Peel of 1 lemon (avoid the white pith)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar and ground cinnamon for dusting (optional)
🥄 Instructions
1. Shape the pastry
- Roll the puff pastry sheet into a tight log and cut it into 12 equal pieces.
- Place each piece into a muffin tin cavity (cut side down).
- Use your thumbs to press and shape the dough into the bottom and up the sides to form a little cup.
2. Make the custard
- Whisk the flour with ¼ cup of the milk in a saucepan until smooth.
- Add the rest of the milk and continue whisking until combined.
- In another pan, heat the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel until it reaches a syrupy boil (220°F/104°C).
- Remove the cinnamon and lemon peel.
- Slowly whisk the syrup into the milk-flour mixture.
- Let it cool a bit, then whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla until smooth.
3. Fill and bake
- Preheat your oven to the highest safe temperature (ideally 500°F/260°C).
- Pour the custard into the pastry-lined muffin tins, leaving a small gap at the top.
- Bake for 15–25 minutes, or until the tops are golden with dark blisters.
4. Cool and serve
- Let the tarts cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack.
- Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon if you’d like. Serve warm or at room temp.
✅ Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs for a smoother custard.
- A very hot oven is key to getting that classic blistered top.
- Chill the pastry slightly before shaping if it gets too soft.
- Best enjoyed the day they’re made, but can be stored at room temperature for 1–2 days.
