Christmas Baskets/Tartlets

Christmas Baskets/Tartlets or Tarts as they are often referred to, are traditional Christmas Sweets made only during the Christmas season.

These are small canapes or tartlet shells that have a filling of fresh coconut and sugar. This is flavored with either vanilla or rose essence. These canapes adorn your Christmas Platter and are a favorite among kids.

As most of my family members and friends are health conscious and avoid eating sweets, I just make a small batch of these beautiful tartlets during Christmas.

As kids, we would enjoy these tarts and Mum would love making them for us. They have a filling of sweet coconut and a few nuts and are flavored with either rose or vanilla.

To save time, the store-bought tart shells also work fine. Use the store-bought tart shells, if you must but do give these Christmas Baskets/Tartlets or Tarts, a try Christmas.

Table of Contents

• Christmas Baskets/Tartlets
  • How to Make Christmas Tartlets
  • Filling for the Christmas Baskets / Tartlets or Tarts
  • Printable Recipe

Christmas Baskets/Tartlets

For Baked Tartlet Shells:

• 100 grams All-purpose flour/Maida Sifted
• 50 grams  Butter (cold)
• 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 to 3 tbsp cold water

For the Fried Tartlet Shells:

• 150 grams All-purpose flour/Maida Sifted
• 25 grams Ghee/clarified butter ( 2 heaped tbsp)
• ½ cup Milk or as required for kneading the dough
• ¼ tsp Salt
• Oil for deep frying

How to Make Christmas Tartlets

Step I.
Knead the flour to form a soft dough. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes on the countertop in case of fried tartlets and in the refrigerator for baked ones.

Step II.
After resting time, roll this dough into a thick chapati. Place the tartlet mould on the rolled chapati and punch it down. Place this punched dough into the tartlet container pressing all over the container.

Step III.
Baking: Fork the tartlet shells and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 180 deg C.

Frying: Fork the tartlet and then deep fry along with the container for a minute. The containers will separate from the tartlets once immersed in oil. Remove the container and continue to fry the tarts for one minute.

Filling for the Christmas Baskets / Tartlets or Tarts

A variety of fillings can be used for the tarts. We prefer the traditional fresh coconut filling. I like to use food colour to make it a little decorative since it is Christmas. You could avoid the colours too. Use freshly grated coconut for taste and texture. Here’s how you make the filling –

1. In a vessel bring 1/2 a cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil. To this add one and a half cups of freshly grated coconut. Cook this mixture on a medium heat till the water completely dries up. It will take you approximately 5 – 8 minutes, depending on the heat. Do not overcook the coconut mixture, or it will turn hard. We like to keep it on the softer side.
2. Now, divide the coconut mixture into 2 or 3 equal parts and add colours of your choice. I like to use green and pink. Fill the tarts with this mixture when it cools slightly.

Do try out the other Christmas Sweets too… Sweet Puffs, Milk Cream, Marzipan, Marshmallows, Chocolate Fudge

Printable Recipe

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Please let me have your comments and feedback. Your comments are valuable and highly appreciated. You can also get in touch with me at flavoursofmykitchen2019@gmail.com.

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