Rustic Cherry Tarts

40 Comments 5

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe

Rustic Cherry Tarts make the most of the season’s beautiful, fresh cherries.

In the summer, I love desserts that feature fresh fruits: Peaches, Cherries, Berries, and Rhubarb – especially the rhubarb desserts, as evidenced by the abundance of recipes here!

Rustic Cherry Tarts

These little tarts are straightforward, consisting of a small circular crust with a mixture of cherries and sugar on top.

Save The Recipe

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email and I’ll send this recipe right to your inbox! Plus, I’ll send you new recipes every week!

Simple, yet they are still a beautiful, tasty treat. The simplicity of the recipe allows the flaky texture of the crust and the juicy flavor of the cherries to shine.

Cherry Tarts

Aren’t cherries a gorgeous, cheery fruit? (See what I did there with the “cheery” cherries? I amuse myself sometimes.)

It’s important for fruit tarts to have a good crust. It has only been recently that I have read up and practiced making pie crusts.

Homemade crusts are not hard, it just takes knowing some tips and tricks to mixing and handling the dough. If you have a favorite, stand-by crust recipe, by all means feel free to use it.

I’ve used this cheater oil pie crust for most of the recipes here on the website. It’s foolproof for pretty much any dessert!

Homemade Cherry Fruit Tarts

How To Make A Fruit Tart

Once you have the crusts made, the rest of the recipe is a snap. Combine the fruit with a few tablespoons of sugar and a bit of cornstarch and the filling is complete.

These are free form tarts, meaning that the dough is rolled into a circle, the filling placed in the center and the edges of dough folded and pleated around the edged for a rustic look.

These little beauties are best enjoyed when they are warm right from the oven, perhaps with a bit of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Rustic Cherry Tarts are a summer favorite!

Cherry Tart Recipe

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pea sized crumbs.
  2. Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture, lightly stirring with a fork until dough forms into a ball. Chill the dough for at least an hour. This makes it much easier to handle.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix the cherries with the sugar and cornstarch.
  4. Divide the dough into fourths. Roll out each fourth into a 8 in round circle. Trim the edges a bit with a knife, if necessary.
  5. Spoon a cup of the cherries into the middle of each circle, leaving about an inch and a half of crust around the edges.
  6. Gently fold the edge of the crust over the cherries, pleating as you go. Brush the crust with a beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cherries are tender.
Fresh Cherry Tarts

Cherry Desserts

Cherry Pie Bars with Vanilla Glaze are an easy treat you can make with canned cherry pie filling or with fresh cherries.

A classic dessert, this No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake is perfect for summer picnics and potlucks. This cheesecake has a graham cracker crust, creamy no-bake cheesecake layer, and cherry pie filling on top.

Soft, moist, and full of fresh cherry flavor, this Cherry Almond Bread is simple to make, and is a great hostess or neighbor gift.

Homemade Cherry Ice Cream is another summer favorite.

Summer Fruit Tarts with Fresh Cherries
Homemade Cherry Fruit Tarts

Rustic Cherry Tarts

5 from 3 votes
Rustic Cherry Tarts make the most of the season's beautiful, fresh cherries. The simplicity of the recipe allows the flaky texture of the crust and the juicy flavor of the cherries to shine.
Servings: 4 – 6 Inch Tarts

Ingredients 

For the Crust

  • 1 and ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup ice cold water

For the filling

  • 4 cups pitted sweet cherries
  • 3 T sugar
  • 1 and ½ tsp cornstarch
  • 1 egg beaten

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until pea sized crumbs.
  • Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture, lightly stirring with a fork until dough forms into a ball. Chill the dough for at least an hour. This makes it much easier to handle.
  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix the cherries with the sugar and cornstarch.
  • Divide the dough into fourths. Roll out each fourth into a 8 in round circle. Trim the edges a bit with a knife, if necessary.
  • Spoon a cup of the cherries into the middle of each circle, leaving about an inch and a half of crust around the edges.
  • Gently fold the edge of the crust over the cherries, pleating as you go. Brush the crust with a beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cherries are tender.
Tried this recipe?Mention @chocolatewithgrace or tag #chocolatewithgrace!

{originally published 7/3/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/15/21}

Rustic Cherry Tarts are a seasonal fave!

Filed under: , , ,

Tagged with:

Related Posts

Reader Interactions

40 Comments Leave a comment or review

    Rate & Comment

    Recipe Rating




    • Mallory says

      Thanks, Amy. It’s just my opinion, but I think they are one of the prettiest deserts I have made.

  1. TidyMom says

    i love making rustic pies……takes all the pressure out of “the perfect looking crust”! Great idea for all those cherries I have!

    • Mallory says

      They are not as hard as they look. If I had to recommend one tip, it would be to work with cold dough. It is so much easier to handle.

  2. Stefanie says

    5 stars
    I made these last night and they were amazing!! I cut the recipe in half and it worked great! I also found I only had half the needed shortening so subbed in half butter and it was so flaky!!! Pitted my cherries with my Wilton 1M tip… Worked amazing!! Wonderful recipe!!!

    • Mallory says

      I’m glad you enjoyed them, Stefanie. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Awesome tip on how to pit the cherries too!

  3. angela says

    Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by the Wednesday Roundup! This awesome post is being featured this week! Come on by and grab a featured button! I’ve also pinned this to our Link Party Pinterest board!

  4. Diana Zee says

    Hi this looks amazing! Saw your link on the SITS girls. I don’t like to turn on my over in the summer but I would definitely turn it on for this.

  5. Jill Bell says

    So the beaten egg doesn’t go in with the cherries!! Too late, my daughter saw it under filling and in it went. We’ll see how that turns out. Lol

  6. Archfeld says

    Love the site…the like and share overlay is VERY distracting and covers FAR to much screen on a mobile device. Cheers…

  7. Caroline says

    5 stars
    Great recipe. I recommend cutting the cherries in half, makes it easier to tuck everything in neatly. And I sprinkled them with some cinnamon sugar before putting them in the oven 😀

Trackbacks

  1. […] Rustic Cherry Tarts from Chocolate with Grace […]

  2. […] 2. Rustic Cherry Tarts by Chocolate with Grace […]

  3. […] This recipe was modified from Chocolate with Grace. […]

  4. […] Chocolate Macadamia Cookies / The Grant Life S’mores Bites / Princess Pinky Girl Cherry Tarts / Chocolate With Grace Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Bread / Carmel Moments Hazelnut Macarons / […]

  5. […] I came across these rustic cherry tarts, I was dazzled by the beauty of them. I was prepared to dive right into the recipe, sure there […]