Mandelmusslor (Swedish Almond Tart Cookies)
Crisp, buttery, almond flavored tarts that are delicious plain or filled with something sweet.
Servings: 25 -30 tarts
Calories: 117kcal
Equipment
- small tart pans
- Food processor
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup blanched slivered almonds, finely ground in a food processor
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- 2. Add the egg, followed by the ground almonds, salt and almond extract. Mix until incorporated.
- 3. Add the flour and mix on low until just combined.
- 4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and knead the dough gently with your hands inside the bowl for a minute or two until it all comes together into a cohesive whole. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
- 5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and have 25 or so tart pans ready to go. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and tear off a piece that is approximately the size of a walnut. Pat the small piece of dough into the tart pan using your thumbs and fingers. The dough should be uniformly about ⅛th inch thick across the surface of the tart pan. Create a nice even edge at the top of the pan (see video for a visual demonstration).
- 6. Place 8-10 filled tart pans on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper and slide them in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are light golden brown in color.
- 7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the mandelmusslor to cool before handling. Once they are cool enough to touch, tip them upside down and remove the tart shell from the pan. This may require a little help from your fingers or by tapping and/or wiggling the pan a little to loosen the tart shell from the sides. This may take a little practice. Let the mandelmusslor cool on a wire baking rack. Repeat with remaining tart pans, baking 8-10 on a baking sheet at a time. Fill (or don't fill) as desired.
Video
Notes
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours prior to working with it. Not only does this make the dough easier to press into the tart pans, it also gives the final product a more uniform surface. If the dough has been in the refrigerator for longer than a couple of hours, you may need to let it warm up slightly before working with it.
- Don't bother greasing the tart pans. I used to do this and it was a big extra step that I didn't enjoy. When I was developing this recipe, I tried buttering the pans, using a baking spray (like Pam for Baking) and leaving them alone. All the tarts came out of the pan with the same relative ease. That said, if your set of tart pans is different than mine, it's possible that greasing the tins might be necessary. Try a small batch without greasing first and see how it goes. You can always adjust the process and grease the pans for the next go around.
- Press the dough into the tart pans thinly and evenly. That said, don't drive yourself crazy trying to get them REALLY thin. I promise they will be tasty whether they are thin or a little on the thicker side. And another bonus...they don't break as easily.
- Once you are done pressing, Finish off the top edge of the tart with your fingers. Just make sure the edge is even with the top of the tart pan for an attractive final product. See the video above for a helpful visual example of this process.
- Once the tarts are baked and have cooled enough so that you can handle them, gently release them from the tart pans. This might take a little practice, but they should release pretty easily with a little wiggling and help from your fingers.
- These tarts freeze beautifully. Put any tarts that you are not immediately eating into freezer bag or other tightly sealed freezer-safe container and consume at your leisure.
Nutrition
Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
