As part of the Dessert Project, we tried two variations on tart dough. These are softer doughs, more like cookies than pastry, and require careful handling. The recipes make one 9-inch tart or six 3-inch tartlets.

Almond Tart Dough (from Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book)
1 large egg yolk
2 T heavy cream
½ cup sliced almonds (hazelnuts can be substituted), toasted
¼ cup (50 g) sugar
1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
¼ t salt
6 T unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

Beat the egg yolk and cream together in a small bowl. Process the almonds and sugar in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground, 15-20 seconds. Add the flour and salt; pulse to combine, about 10 pulses. Scatter butter over the flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses. With the processor running, add the egg yolk mixture and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

Chocolate Tart Dough (from Cook’s Illustrated Cooking School)
1 large egg yolk
1 T heavy cream
½ t vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup (25 g) confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
¼ t salt
8 T unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilled

Directions for both recipes:

Transfer the dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap and press into a six-inch disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm and malleable, about 30 minutes. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, let stand until malleable but still cool.)

Roll the dough out between two large sheets of plastic into an 11-inch rough about 3/8-inch thick. (For tartlets, divide the dough into sixths and roll out into 5-inch circles.) If dough becomes too and sticky, slip it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until workable. Place the dough round on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm but pliable, about 15 minutes.

Adjust the oven rack to a middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with vegetable oil spray. Cut out a circle of parchment paper the same size as the bottom of the tart pan. Lay the paper on the bottom of the pan and spray with oil.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Keeping the dough on the sheet, remove the top layer of plastic. Invert the tart pan (with bottom) on top the dough. Using both hands, pick up the sheet and tart pan and carefully invert both, setting tart pan right side up. Remove sheet and peel off plastic; reserve the plastic. Roll over the edge of the tart pan with a rolling pin to cut the dough. Gently ease and press dough into the bottom of the pan, reserving the scraps. Roll the dough scraps into a ¾-inch rope (multiple lengths are okay.) Line the inside edge of the tart pan with the ropes and gently press into the fluted sides. Line the tart pan with the reserved plastic and, using a measuring cup, gently press and smooth the dough to an even thickness of about ¼ inch on the sides. Using a paring knife, trim any excess dough above the rim of the tart. Freeze the dough-lined pan until the dough is firm, 20-30 minutes.

Set the dough-lined pan on a baking sheet. Spray a 12-inch square of aluminum foil with oil and press the foil, oil side down, into the pan. Fill with pie weights. Bake until the dough is dry and light golden brown, 25 minutes for Almond dough and 30 minutes for chocolate dough, rotating sheet halfway. Carefully remove the foil and weights and continue to bake until the pastry is a rich golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.