This fast and easy Almond Tart Crust Recipe is a great way to elevate your favorite tart recipes! Subtle almond flavor pops out of this amazing dough to pair up with your favorite tart fillings.
Pies may be my favorite desserts, but a tart is a very close second! They are very similar and I love how versatile they are.
And when I am adding yummy fillings, I still want the crust to fend for itself and elevate the entire recipe.
That is why I like using tart crusts with a flavor enhancer in them, like this Almond Tart Crust Recipe!
Table of Contents
What is the difference between pie crust and tart crust?
While made with similar ingredients, they are different.
A pie crust tends to be lighter and flaky, while a tart crust is denser, crumbly, and more similar to a cookie.
Most people say the difference is that a pie has a top crust, but it is more than that. The dough itself is different.
How do you grind almonds into flour?
If you do not have almond flour on hand, you can make your own!
Simply process the nuts 1/4 cup at a time in a food processor or powerful blender until it is a flour-like consistency. You will need more cups of almonds than you need flour as the volume will decrease since you do not have the same air gaps as whole nuts.
It will be loud and take several minutes to complete, but it is a great option if you do not want to buy almond flour or if heading to the store is not in the cards.
Tart Crust Tips
Here are a few tips of things I have learned in working with tart crust.
This specific tart crust recipe can be very soft, which means it can tear easily. If it is difficult to handle, stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Is the dough tearing when you put it in the pan? Mine likes to tear around the edges. If chilling ahead of time is not working, simply press scraps of dough into the gaps. You can see in the image above how I patched up the edges.
Try not to re-roll the dough several times as it will get tougher each time. Just err on the side of chilling longer to strengthen the dough for rolling and transferring to the pan.
Fillings for Almond Tart Crust
Any fillings that go well with almonds will be beautiful here!
I love to fill this crust with my Cherry Tart filling, since almonds and cherries are a classic pairing.
Other great ideas include apricots, apples, peaches, and chocolate. There are so many options out there! Whether a fruit dessert recipe, chocolate, or something savory.
And while the crusts may be different, many fruit pies and fruit tarts have fillings that are interchangeable. So you can use a peach pie filling in this tart crust, for example.
Simply use this tart crust recipe in place of crusts listed in other tart recipes for a fun twist with extra flavor.
Almond Tart Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup almonds toasted
- ½ cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter chilled
Instructions
- It is recommended to toast the nuts to bring out the flavor more. Do this by putting the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet occasionally until you are smelling the almonds, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Add the almonds and sugar to a food processor and blend until the nuts are finely ground, approximately 10-12 seconds.
- Add the flour and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine.
- Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and scatter across the top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand, approximately 15 pulses.
- Whisk the egg and vanilla together. Turn the food processor on and slowly add the egg mixture through the feeding tube while it is running and blend until the dough clumps up together, approximately 10-14 seconds.
- Scoop the dough out of the food processor and shape into a disc 6 inches wide. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- When ready to use, let the dough soften slightly 5-10 minutes before rolling out as needed. Roll out on a lightly floured surface.
