Mini Plum Tarts with Frangipane

These mini Plum Tarts filled with a layer of creamy frangipane and slices of fresh ripe plum are as delicious as they are cute. The best part is with individually sized portions, you don’t even have to share if you don’t want to. Each of these mini tarts is perfect for one or two!

I love pairing frangipane (a delicious pastry filling made with almonds) with fresh fruit. I’ve experimented with non-traditional frangipane recipes using pistachio and coconut. They were both delicious and just as easy to make. Next up on my list was to try it with another one of my favorites: plums.

Plums, pluots, and plucots (plum-apricot hybrids) may come in lots of pretty colors, different sizes, and shapes — but they are all equally delicious in this recipe for frangipane tartlets. It only takes 3 large, ripe plums to make 6 plum tartlets.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Impressive enough for guests – These mini plum tarts are just as delicious as they are eye-catching. They are perfect for a fancy dinner party at home.
• Wonderful flavor pairing – The sweetness and slight tartness of the plums pair wonderfully with the rich, almond flavor of frangipane. Plus, the soft and creamy texture of the frangipane goes nicely with the juicy plums!
• Never soggy – Because I add the fruit on top of the frangipane, you don’t need to worry about the crust going soggy. That means you don’t need to blind-bake the shell for this plum tarts recipe – a time saver!
• Versatile – Once you get the hang of it, you can easily recreate this recipe with your favorite fillings and fruits. I’m sharing some suggestions below if you need some inspiration.

Tools you’ll need

Before you get started on your plum tartlets recipe, make sure you have the following:

• A food processor to make the tart dough. You can make it with a stand mixer or by hand, just be aware that it will take more effort if making by hand.
• A French rolling pin with tapered edges makes rolling out the dough even easier.
• Mini pie tins for baking your tartlets. When I first made this plum frangipane tart recipe back in 2015, I used disposable pie tins we had available at the time. Since then, I’ve upgraded to metal mini pie tins. Some of you have told me that these were harder to find than expected. If you can’t find yours locally, you may be able to find them from Amazon. I’ve also seen them at TJMaxx!

Ingredients and Substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips for each ingredient:

1. All-purpose Flour – For your tart crust and frangipane filling. If you need to make these mini tarts gluten-free, you can use your preferred GF flour with a 1:1 ratio.

2. Granulated Sugar – Needed for the crust and the frangipane. Sugar adds sweetness to both and is essential for getting the flavor just right.

3. Unsalted Butter – I like unsalted butter for plum tarts. Make sure it is cold before you get started on the crust — I recommend leaving it in the fridge until ready to use. Some of the cold butter will stay intact as the crust bakes, leaving you with little pockets of flaky goodness. You’ll also use butter in the frangipane but at room temperature. It needs to be room temp to help it better incorporate with the other ingredients to create a smooth texture.

4. Almond Meal & Almond Extract – Almond meal is the base of your frangipane. You can make your own out of raw almonds with your food processor, or you can buy it premade at the grocery store. As a note, it’s naturally gluten-free too. I add a bit of almond extract to the mix as well for a more enhanced almond flavor.

5. Eggs – These contribute a lot to the frangipane. They help bind everything together and add moisture and richness.

6. Plums – Similar to peaches and other stone fruits, when plums are ripe, they should smell delicious, sweet, and fruity. When you gently squeeze them, they’ll give just a little. For this plum tarts recipe, you’ll want them ripe but firm, so skip over any that are really soft.

How to Make Mini Plum Tarts

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Make the frangipane

Start by allowing the butter to soften to room temperature, then blend it with the sugar. Whisk together the almond meal, all-purpose flour, salt and add the mixture to the food processor and blend together with the butter mixture.

Lightly beat the eggs with the almond extract and add to the food processor. Blend until creamy and transfer to a bowl. Allow the frangipane to rest in the refrigerator until ready to use, and up to a few days in advance.

Note: I use a food processor to make frangipane — again, this is especially useful if you’re making your own almond meal/flour. But if you don’t have a food processor, you’ll need to use packaged almond meal/flour and simply use the mixer with the paddle attachment.

Make the pie crust

I used my go-to all-butter pie crust in this recipe for frangipane tartlets, which comes together quickly in a food processor. For this particular plum tartlets recipe, I increased the ingredient amounts for the pie dough so it will fit 6 mini pie tins comfortably.

Add the combined flour, sugar, and salt to your food processor and toss in cubed cold butter. Pulse until it is about pea-sized, then begin to drizzle in the cold water. When the dough starts to form, turn the processor off. Turn out the dough, shape into a disk, and refrigerate for an hour.

Tip: I usually make the pie dough first, then without washing the food processor, make the frangipane. This way I only need to wash it once.

Assemble the mini plum tarts

Once the pie dough is ready, divide it into 6 balls and roll each one out into a circle about 1.5″ larger than your mini pie pan.

Tip: If the pie dough is in the fridge for a longer resting time (longer than an hour), it may be too hard to form balls and roll out right away. You may need to let it soften a bit on the countertop.

Place the sheet of dough over the pie tin and press lightly to secure. Flute the edges and freeze until you’re ready to bake.

Divide the frangipane evenly among 6 pie shells, place half a plum on top, and cover the edges with foil so they don’t burn. Bake until the filling is puffy and the top is light brown. Remove the foil strips during the last 10 minutes of baking to allow the edges to brown.

Tip: To prepare the plums, slice each one in half and twist to separate. Then, use the tip of your knife to pry the pit off and cut the fruit into ¼” thick slices.

More baker’s tips

• Be careful not to work the tart dough too much. Once you’ve added the butter, don’t pulse your food processor for too long. You want it to be in pea-sized pieces — larger chunks are okay — as this is essential to creating a flaky crust. And once you’ve added water, only run the food processor until the dough start to pull together. At this point, overworking the dough will result in a tough crust.
• If you don’t have mini pie pans, you can easily make this recipe in an 8-inch tart pan, like this pineapple tart. You may need an extra plum or two to fill the space in a large tart pan. You’ll also need to lengthen the baking time, approximately 60 minutes or so total, until the top of the filling is light brown.
• Go rustic! You could also make this recipe for frangipane tartlets like a rustic galette. Simply spread the frangipane in the middle of the pie dough, top with sliced plums, and fold in the edges.
• Variations – Other stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, and apricots will also work in this recipe. For fall flavors, you can use apples and pears instead. Finally, you could even use different nuts in the frangipane if you’d like. Pistachios come to mind, as do hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans.

Storage

I usually only make as many plum tarts as I plan to serve, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remember to let them cool completely so they don’t go soggy in the fridge due to excess condensation.

Sometimes I like these chilled, but when I need to reheat them, I use my oven. Place the leftover tarts on a baking sheet and reheat at 325 degrees F for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through. You could use your microwave if you’d like, but the crust won’t crisp up as nicely.

FAQs

If you love pies (and I hope you do!), here is a round up of my favorite pies for you to peruse. You might find a new flavor you want to try.

More delicious almond treats

• Apple Tart with Almond Paste Filling
• Almond Scones
• Almond Shortbread Cookies
• Almond Spritz Cookies
• Almond Rugelach

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Join my newsletter to get notified when I publish a new recipe. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more inspiration.

📖 Recipe card

Mini Plum Tarts with Frangipane

These mini Plum Tarts are filled with a layer of creamy frangipane and slices of fresh ripe plum are as delicious as they are cute. The best part is with individually-sized portions you don’t even have to share if you don't want to. Each of these mini tarts is perfect for one or two!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Pie

Cuisine: American, European

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 tartlets

Calories: 762kcal

Author: Trang

Equipment

• Food Processor
• French Rolling Pin
• Mini Pie Tins

Ingredients

Pie dough

• ▢ 2 cup all-purpose flour (240 g)
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar (46 g)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt (4 g)
• ▢ 6 oz unsalted butter (cubed and cold, 170 g)
• ▢ 3 – 4 tablespoon cold water
• ▢ Extra flour for rolling

Filling

• ▢ 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature, 113 g)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (99 g)
• ▢ 1 cup almond meal (packed, 120 g)
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour (33 g)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 3 medium plums (ripe but firm)

Instructions

Pie dough

• Add flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Then transfer to a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Cube the cold butter and add to the flour mixture. Pulse several times until butter is about pea and bean size, variation in size is okay but no smaller than a pea.
• Turn the food processor to “on” position and drizzle cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole, as soon as the dough starts to pull together turn the food processor off. You may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to get the flour at the bottom to mix up.
• Turn the dough out on the counter or cutting board and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for an hour. This will yield about 17.6 oz (500 g) of dough.
• Take the pie dough out of the refrigerator and divide into 6 balls, about 2.9 oz (83 g). Roll each ball into a circle about 1.5” larger than the mini pie tin.
• Place the pie dough over the pie tin and lightly press it into the pie tin so it sits right against the wall. Flute the edges. Keep in the freezer until ready to fill and bake.

Frangipane

• In the same food processor, without washing, add soften butter and sugar, and process until combined.
• Whisk together almond meal, flour, and salt. Add mixture to the food processor and process until crumbs form.
• Lightly beat together the eggs and almond extract. Add egg to the food processor and process until creamy.
• Transfer fragipane to a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.

Assembling & Baking

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Slice the plums in half, twist to separate. Then use the tip of your knife to pry the pit off, cut into ¼” thick slices.
• Fill each tart with about ⅓ cup of frangipane. Place half a plum on top the filling. Use a small strip of foil to cover the edges so they don’t burn.
• Bake for 40 minutes until the filling is puffy and the top is light brown. Remove the foil strips during the last 10 minutes of baking to allow the edges to brown.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool to the touch on a wire rack. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar (optional). Store tarts in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

• Don’t overwork the tart dough.
• To bake this recipe in a large tart pan or pie pan, increase baking time to approximately 60 minutes. You may need more plums.
• Go rustic and bake it into a galette if you don’t have mini pie pans.
• Try different variations with other stone fruits and different nuts for the frangipane.

Nutrition

Serving: 199g | Calories: 762kcal

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