Cheese Tartlets Recipe - Easy and Elegant (2024)

Cheese Tartlets are French inspired and American easy. These baked cheese tart appetizers are rustic and simple while still being elegant and special enough for any occasion.

Exactly what is a cheese tartlet?

It's a delightful little appetizer which provides 2-3 bites of crusty, cheesy goodness. Fresh out of the oven is perfect, but they really are also wonderful at room temperature, making them an excellent buffet choice.

You can find cheese tartlets recipes with fancy ingredients and a variety of add-ins, but this is a plain and simple tarlet that really allows the flavor of the cheese to shine. We chose a combination of fontina and gouda cheeses, but either would be good on its own.

You could also pick other cheeses, as long as it's a type that melts well like provolone or cheddar.

The basics of how to make mini tartlets

Remember, we said we were keeping this easy. The biggest shortcut we've taken is to use ready-made pie crusts like you would find in the dairy/refrigerated bread section of your grocery store (the same type we use for our classic Pecan Pie, Crispy Coconut Pie, and Strawberry Pie). Beyond that...

• Roll the dough out to make it a little thinner.
• Cut circles with a biscuit cutter.
• Press the circles into a sprayed mini muffin tin.
• Fill each with grated cheese.
• Carefully pour in the egg mixture filling almost to the top of the crusts.
• Top with a little more cheese.
• Bake.
• Garnish if desired, and serve.

FAQ about making cheese tartlets

CAN I CHANGE UP THE TYPE OF CHEESE?
By all means, that's the beauty of this recipe. It's super versatile! Use any type of cheese you like, as long as it will melt well.
COULD I MAKE MY OWN CRUST?
Sure! That's not one of our specialties and we wanted to keep this recipe quick and easy with minimal prep time. But, if you love making crusts and have a favorite recipe, go for it!
COULD I USE PUFF PASTRY?
We don't recommend it, because it would take up too much room in the muffin cup and not leave adequate space for the cheese mixture.
WOULDN'T IT BE EASIER TO MIX THE CHEESE WITH THE EGG MIXTURE?
It might be easier, but we tested the recipe that way and weren't as pleased with the results. The cheese tartlets tended to sink in the middle. Just as tasty perhaps, but not as pretty.
EXACTLY WHAT SIZE MINI MUFFIN TIN WORKS BEST FOR THE TARTLETS RECIPE?
We used the same size tin we use for mini cupcakes like our Key Lime Cupcakes and Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes. Specifically the cups measure 1 and ¼ inches across the bottom and 1 and ¾ inches across the top.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET THE EGG MIXTURE INTO THE CRUSTS?
Use something with a pour spout. If you have a large measuring cup that you can mix the egg mixture in this works great. Then you can just pour directly from there.

📖 Recipe

We are confident you are going to love this tarlets recipe and will have it on your regular rotation for appetizer ideas.

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