I firmly believe that cranberries are one of the most underrated fruits. Cranberries are native to North America and grow across Canada with most commercially coming from British Columbia and Quebec. These flaky tarts celebrate this delicious Canadian crop.
Cranberries have a vibrant tart flavour that are perfectly balanced with a little sweetener. In this Vegan Cranberry Tart recipe we lean into the tart flavour with just enough sweetness to keep it balanced. Encompassed in a flaky vegan crust this seasonal treat is going to be your new favourite!
ingredients
Vegan “Buttery” Crust
Cranberry Filling
directions
For the crust, add flour and salt to a bowl and mix. Add cubes of very cold vegan butter and using your hands, toss until all the butter cubes are evenly coated in flour. Squish each cube of butter between two fingers and toss in flour again. Gently rub the butter into the flour until the butter is about the size of walnut halves or leave as is for an extra flaky pie crust.
Create a well in the middle of the flour and pour in about half the cold water and toss until all the water is absorbed into the flour. A little bit at a time, add more cold water to the bowl and mix until the dough comes together – you want to handle it as little as possible. You may need to add more or less water, as different flours hydrate at different percentages.
Wrap the dough and place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.
To prepare the cranberry filling, add cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the cranberries burst and the filling thickens. You want a good mix of burst cranberries and whole cranberries in your mixture. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Generously flour a clean work surface and roll the chilled dough out to ⅛- ¼-inch thickness, depending on how thin you want the shell. Using a 4.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut into 8-10 discs.
Lightly grease a muffin tin and gently press the circles into each muffin cup. Repeat for remaining dough discs.
Divide the cranberry filling into the tart shells so they’re about ¾ full. This will allow for the filling to bubble without bubbling over the edges.
Bake 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden.
Cool the tarts for 5 minutes, then give them a gentle twist in the pan and remove. Allow to cool on a wire baking rack.
