🧀✨ Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts ✨🧀
Creamy, dreamy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious — these Japanese-style cheese tarts have a buttery crust and a rich, fluffy filling that's slightly tangy and totally irresistible.
Ingredients
For the Tart Shells:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 large egg yolk
1–2 tbsp ice water, as needed
For the Cheese Filling:
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon juice (optional, for a slight tang)
Instructions
1. Make the Tart Shells:
In a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add cubed butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Add egg yolk and pulse again. Drizzle in ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, just until the dough comes together.
Form into a disk, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out dough and cut into rounds to fit a muffin tin or tart molds. Press gently into greased tins and prick the bottoms with a fork.
Chill again for 15 min, then preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and blind bake the shells with pie weights for 15 min. Remove weights and bake 5 more min. Let cool.
2. Make the Filling:
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt cream cheese, mascarpone, butter, and milk. Whisk until smooth.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and sugar. Whisk in the egg, then add this to the cheese mixture.
Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy (about 4–6 min). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and lemon juice (if using).
Let cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag.
3. Assemble and Bake:
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Pipe the cheese filling into each cooled tart shell, smoothing the tops.
Bake for 7–8 minutes or until tops are slightly golden and puffy.
Let cool slightly — they’re best served warm with that signature gooey center!
Details
🕒 Prep Time: 30 min
🔥 Bake Time: 25 min
⏱️ Total Time: ~1 hour
🍥 Yields: 10–12 mini tarts
📊 Calories per tart: ~240–260
Serve warm and try not to eat them all at once! Want a fruity twist, like a mango or yuzu glaze on top?