Chinese Egg Tarts 蛋挞

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Egg tarts aka ‘dan tat 蛋挞’ in cantonese are best served when they out of the oven— warm and crispy. The egg filling is soft and slightly sweet with a delicious egg flavor. The crust is buttery and flakey with a crispy and soft texture (similar to a croissant). You may not know the difference between store-bought and homemade egg tarts again. These are so delicious and easy to make, especially for someone like me who doesn’t bake often.

Note: this recipe uses a pre-made egg tart crust for an easy recipe! If you want to learn how to make your own crust, please check out other delicious recipes I found on my favorite food blogs: Woks of Life and Omnivore’s Cookbook.

Every single time I would visit my grandpa, he would give me a box of egg tarts because it was one of my favorite childhood (and adult) foods. He would line up early and buy them fresh so the crust is still crispy and flakey. Sometimes the egg tarts are even warm. This egg tart recipe is very similar to the ones my grandpa bought from the Chinese bakery!

What are egg tarts?

Egg tarts is a pastry originated from Hong Kong. The egg tarts are usually sold in a Chinese bakery. However, you can find them at dim sum restaurants as well. There are two different types of crusts for egg tarts (flakey and cookie).

Since we’re buying our egg tart crusts, I chose to buy the flakey cookie version (Portuguese egg tart). The one I get it is extra buttery and tastes fragrant. You can find the crusts in the frozen aisle (near the frozen dumpling section for me) at asian grocery stores like 99 Ranch (Chinese grocery chain). Any crust you like or can find would work great!

Egg Tarts Vs. Portuguese Egg Tarts

The difference between the two tarts come down to the filling and the crust. Egg tarts slightly vary from Portuguese egg tarts due to the egg filling and the crust. Egg tarts primarily uses egg and tastes less sweet with a flakey crust. The crust for egg tarts can be cookie like or flakey like a croissant. The egg filling tastes very light.

While Portuguese egg tarts are scorched with a brown spotted top and have a shortbread cookie flakey crust. Sometimes they are dusted with cinnamon and tend to be sweeter than an egg tart. The egg filling is an egg custard and the texture will be thicker than egg tarts.

Egg Tart Shell

I didn’t realize how easy it is to make egg tarts at home because I’m not a huge baker (to be honest). Making pastry can be time consuming and difficult when you have to shape the egg crust. Since I am using pre-made egg crust, they are the ultimate lifesaver because I can make egg tarts at any time. The prep time is super quick and should take no longer than 15 minutes.

Egg tart Filling Tips:

• beat your eggs first and ensure there are no egg whites, this helps makes the egg mixture more even for the filling.
• make sure you use warm water (not boiling) to melt the sugar. Dissolving the sugar ensures that the mixture is evenly sweet
• important step: straining the eggs after mixing helps make the egg tart filling very smooth and strains out the excess egg whites.
• Use a toothpick to test if the egg tart filling is cooked! When there’s no egg sticking to the toothpick, the filling is done.

Check out more Cantonese Dim Sum Foods:

• mango mochi – soft coconut mochi filled with sweet mango fruit
• siu mai – juicy pork dumplings with shrimp
• spicy wontons – shrimp and pork dumplings tossed in a delicious chili sauce

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR CHINESE EGG TARTS:

• eggs – good quality eggs will make the egg tart more fragrant!
• warm water – use warm water to melt the sugar and to make the eggs come to room temperature. Be careful not to use water that is too hot or else it will cook the eggs!
• sugar – not too much sugar is added to the egg filling. however, feel free to adjust based on your own personal preference.
• milk – I used 2% milk, but whole milk is preferred for a creamier egg tart filling.
• vanilla extract – enhances the egg flavor!

STEPS TO MAKE THE CHINESE EGG TARTS:

• Step 1. Crack 3 eggs in a bowl. Whisk until everything is mixed together.
• Step 2. In a separate bowl, add some warm water to sugar. Mix until the sugar has melted. Set aside to cool. Pour the sugar water in the egg mixture in step 1.

• Step 3. Add milk and vanilla extract in the egg mixture. Mix well. Pour egg mixture through a strainer to ensure that the egg filling would be extra smooth. The strainer is essential is for soft eggs.

• Step 4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once oven is ready, add egg tarts and bake for 27-30 minutes. Use a toothpick to test if the egg tart filling is cooked! When there’s no egg sticking to the toothpick, the filling is done.
• Step 5. Cool the egg tarts for 10 minutes. Take the egg tarts out of the aluminum shell so the crust can cool on a wire rack. This helps the crusts remain crispy!
• Step 6. Enjoy the egg tarts while warm. If you have any leftover, you can place in the fridge for later and reheat in the air fryer. Hope you enjoy!

Reheat the Egg Tart

I couldn’t eat all my egg tarts at once and stored them in the fridge. To reheat the egg tart, I placed them in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit to crisp up the crust! Cool down for a minute and enjoy!

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