These Boston cream pie tarts come together easily with store-bought pie crust, deliciously smooth vanilla pastry cream, and sweet chocolate ganache.
Looking for an easy and delicious dessert to impress your guests at your next dinner party?
These Boston cream pie tarts are a heavenly twist on the classic Boston Cream Pie, with an easy, flaky, buttery crust–thanks to premade crust from the store–creamy vanilla custard filling, and a rich chocolate ganache.
If you’re a fan of the classic Boston Cream Pie, you’re sure to love these delightful tarts.
They’re the perfect dessert for any occasion, and best of all: they can be prepared ahead of time, making them a great option for any busy schedule.
Trust me, these Boston cream pie tarts are going to make you a winner at your next dinner party.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Boston cream pie tarts
For tart:
- Refrigerated pie crust – Most major grocery stores carry ready-to-use pie crust in the refrigerated section.
For pastry cream:
- Whole milk – Whole milk will give us the fat content we need to keep the pastry cream smooth.
- Granulated sugar – Sugar will add sweetness to the pastry cream.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch will help thicken the cream.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks add lusciousness and richness.
- Vanilla extract – vanilla extract will add a sweet vanilla flavor.
For chocolate ganache:
- Chopped chocolate – Use your favorite chocolate bar here!
- Heavy cream – The heavy cream will help thin out the chocolate and turn it into a smooth and creamy topping.
Make ahead
Our crust is store-bought and ready to go, but to make this recipe even faster, you can make the pastry cream ahead of time!
Cooked and cooled pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container, with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface (this helps prevent any dry skins from forming,) and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Toppings
Everyone loves a beautiful garnish, here are some great ideas:
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Chocolate shavings
- Whipped cream
- Mini chocolate chips
Types of chocolate
For the ganache, the most traditional type of chocolate to use is high-quality dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate.
This is because the pastry cream is already so sweet, that using something like milk chocolate may make the dessert cloyingly (or overly) decadent.
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover Boston cream pie tarts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More dessert recipes
- Love rainbows and delicious cake? Try my Funfetti Cake
- Want something cold and sweet? Try my Peppermint Bark Milkshake
- Craving chocolate? Try my Double Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Looking for more individual treats? Try my Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
Boston Cream Pie Tarts
Ingredients
For crust:
- 1 package 2 crusts refrigerated pie crust
For pastry cream:
- 1-½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 large eggs yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For chocolate ganache:
- 8 ounces good quality chocolate finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the Pastry Cream
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat.
- When the milk begins to steam and bubble around the edges, remove it from the heat– we don’t want it to boil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until they are a pale yellow– about 1 minute.
- Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. If there are any large lumps in your mixture, pour it through a fine mesh sieve before returning it to the saucepan.
- Cook the egg-milk mixture over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes, or just until it begins to boil and thicken. Whisk often so the mixture doesn’t scorch.
- When the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap– make sure the plastic is touching the surface of the cream or it will form a skin.
- Place the pastry cream in the fridge and chill completely– about 2 hours.
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Add the chopped chocolate to a medium bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, just until it begins to steam.
- Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 1 minute.
- Whisk the chocolate and cream together until the ganache is smooth. Set the ganache aside to cool for 2 hours. In the meantime, prepare the crusts (below).
To Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 400F and grease four small (4”-5”) tart pans with nonstick baking spray.
- Cut two circles (about 6” in diameter) from each pie crust and press one into each prepared tart pan. Make sure not to stretch the pie crust or it will shrink when baked. Poke the bottom of each tart shell a few times with a fork.
- Bake the tart shells for 15-17 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden brown. You can fill the tart shells with pie weights, but it is not necessary.
- Allow the tart shells to cool completely before removing them from the pans.
- Place 2-3 tablespoons of ganache into the bottom of each tart shell and spread it to the edges.
- Top the ganache with the cooled pastry cream, filling the shells completely.
- Add the remaining ganache to a small bowl and beat it on medium speed with a hand mixer until light and fluffy– about 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag and pipe it on top of the pastry cream.
Garnish with chocolate sprinkles or shavings, if desired. - Serve the tarts immediately or store them at room temperature for up to four hours. I do not recommend storing these tarts assembled overnight as the crust will become soggy.
Nutrition
