Christmas fruit tarts are a festive Christmas dessert that kids love! The tart crust is made with just 4 ingredients, baked, then topped with a cream cheese and whipped topping icing. Decorate with fruit to make a snowman or simply add chopped fruit. No artistic skills needed!
Our gluten-free mini fruit tarts recipe is not only quick and easy but allows kids to make all on their own. A great learning experience for young chefs! These cute tarts allow kids’ creativity to shine every step of the way.
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Fruit tarts are a fun and tasty option to make around the holidays. Kids can create during the day to keep them busy as they are on Christmas break from school. The tarts can then be enjoyed as an afternoon snack or evening treat.
For more recipes that kids can tackle on their own, check out Easy Christmas Cookies for Kids, Homemade Gluten-Free Granola Bar, Dirt Pudding Cups, and Homemade Uncrustables.
Tart Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 9 tablespoons butter, melted 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing Ingredients
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature check for gluten-free
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract check for gluten-free
- 1/2 cup whipped topping
Fruit Ingredients
- 1/2 cup small blueberries
- 3 large raspberries
- 14 small strawberries
How To Make
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place tart pans onto a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Blend the crust ingredients then refrigerate
In a medium-sized bowl stir the gluten-free flour, melted butter, sugar, and salt together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to help chill the butter to create a flaky crust.
For this recipe, we used Cup4Cup multipurpose flour. It is a blend of gluten-free flours that bakes extremely well and has a delicious flavor. For all gluten-free baking, check your brand of flour for “xanthan gum”, which stabilizes baked products. If missing as an ingredient from the flour blend, add accordingly. Generally, 1/2 to 1 tsp of xanthan gum should be added per 1 cup of flour.
Press dough into tart pans then bake
Once chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator then use your hands to crumble the dough into a sand-like consistency.
Divide the dough between the 6 tart pans. Press into the pan with your fingers firmly. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Then, let the crusts cool.
Make the icing
While the crust is cooling, blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract in a mixing bowl until it’s smooth and creamy.
Next, add the whipped topping and using a spatula, fold the ingredients together until just blended.
Pro Tip: Use this icing recipe for any cookie, cake or tart recipe requiring a light and fluffy cream cheese filling or topping.
Decorate the tarts
Equally divide the icing among the tarts then spread with a spoon.
Add 2 blueberries for eyes, cut strawberries into a nose, 2 large strawberries for earmuffs, more blueberries for the earmuff band, then cut a raspberry into 4ths using 2 pieces for the smile. Serve immediately.
Pro Tip: Have leftover icing? Enjoy as a treat by dipping any leftover fruit into the icing bowl.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Baking Sheet Placement: Placing the tart pans on a baking sheet helps with even baking and makes it easier to handle in and out of the oven. It also catches any potential drips.
Consistency Check: When blending the crust ingredients, pay attention to the consistency. The mixture should resemble coarse sand after you crumble it. This texture ensures a nice, crumbly crust.
Even Pressing: When pressing the crust into the tart pans, make sure to press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides. This ensures a uniform thickness and helps the crust bake evenly.
Golden Brown Indicator: Keep an eye on the crust while baking (12-14 minutes). The golden brown color is a good indicator of doneness. However, if your oven has hot spots, you may want to rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking.
Cream Cheese Softening: Ensure that the cream cheese is at room temperature for smooth blending. You can take it out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before starting.
Gentle Folding: When adding the whipped topping, fold gently to maintain a light and fluffy texture. Overmixing can deflate the whipped topping.
Creative Fruit Arrangement: Get creative with the fruit decorations! Consider placing the eyes, nose, and smile in a fun and appealing way. This is a great step for involving kids in the kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add the fruit right before serving.
Pomegranate arils and kiwi are two additional fruit topping ideas that are festive.
Absolutely. The crusts can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before adding the icing and fruit to serve. You can also make the crusts ahead then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, thaw and decorate.
A large tart pan or pie dish can be used in place of the mini tart pans – simply adjust the cooking time. Muffin liners in a muffin tin is another option. Be cautious as muffin liners are less sturdy than the tart pan. If going this route, we recommend removing the baked tart crusts from the muffin tin then decorating with icing and fruit.
Storage Instructions
To maintain the freshness and quality of your gluten-free tartlets with cream cheese icing and fruity decorations, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Ensure that the container is sealed well to prevent any odors from affecting the flavors. Consume within 2-3 days for the best taste and texture.
If you need to store them for a longer period, you can freeze the tartlets, placing them in a freezer-safe container with layers separated by parchment paper. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving, and note that the texture may vary slightly after freezing.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes
- Frozen Cheesecake Bites
- French Toast Muffins
- BEST Hot Chocolate Mix
- Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Oatmeal Cookie Dough Bites
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Christmas Fruit Tarts Recipe
Equipment
- 6 individual tart pans
- 2 medium sized mixing bowls
- hand blender
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour we used Cup4Cup multipurpose fliur
- 9 tablespoons butter, melted 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature ✅
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract ✅
- 1/2 cup whipped topping ✅
Fruit Topping
- 1/2 cup small blueberries
- 3 large raspberries
- 14 small strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place tart pans onto baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Blend the crust ingredients then refrigerate. In a medium sized bowl stir the gluten-free flour, melted butter, sugar, and salt together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, 9 tablespoons butter, melted, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ⭐️ Press dough into tart pans then bake. Remove the dough from the refrigerator then use your hands to crumble the dough into sand like consitancy. Divide the dough between the 6 tart pans. Press into the pan with your fingers firmly. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
- ⭐️ Make the icing. In a medium sized bowl blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract until it's smooth and creamy. Add the whipped topping. Using a spatula, fold together until just blended.2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 1/2 cup whipped topping
- Decorate the tarts. Equally divide the icing amoung the tarts then spread with a spoon. Add 2 blueberries for eyes, cut strawberries into a nose, 2 large strawberries for earmuffs, more blueberrys for the earmuff band, then cut a raspberry into 4ths using 2 peices for the smile. Serve immediately.1/2 cup small blueberries, 3 large raspberries, 14 small strawberries
Notes
- You can make the crust and the icing the day before but wait to combine them to help the crust stay crisp.
- You can also make the crusts ahead then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, thaw and decorate.
- Add fruit just before serving as the fruit may bleed into the icing if left to sit too long.
- Additional festive fruit options include pomegranate arils and kiwi.
Nutrition
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