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Homemade Neenish tarts with flaky crust and creamy filling, featured in a traditional recipe.

Neenish Tarts

Delicious and nostalgic Neenish tarts featuring a crumbly pastry, creamy filling, and a visually appealing two-tone icing.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 tarts
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Australian
Calories: 180
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pastry
  • 1.5 cups plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 125 g cold butter, cubed
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2-3 tablespoons cold water
For the filling
  • 0.5 cups milk
  • 0.5 cups water
  • 0.33 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice optional for a light tang
For the icing
  • 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 2-3 tablespoons warm water add slowly until thick but spreadable
  • 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder for the chocolate half
  • 1 tiny drop of pink food coloring optional for classic look

Method
 

Preparation
  1. In a bowl, rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it looks like fine crumbs. Add egg yolk and enough cold water to bring it together. Press into a ball, wrap, and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
  2. Roll out the dough and line your tart tins. Prick the bottoms with a fork.
Baking the shells
  1. Bake at 180 C for about 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Let them cool.
Cooking the filling
  1. In a saucepan, whisk sugar and cornflour, then whisk in milk and water. Heat on medium, whisking constantly until thick.
  2. Take off the heat, stir in butter and vanilla, and add lemon juice if using. Let cool until just warm.
Assembling the tarts
  1. Spoon filling into each cooled shell and smooth the top. Chill them for at least 30 minutes to firm up the filling.
Icing the tops
  1. Mix icing sugar with warm water until thick but spreadable. Split into two bowls, adding cocoa to one and color to the other if desired.
  2. Spread one half of each tart with chocolate icing and the other half with white or pink icing. Let set.

Notes

Chill the pastry to avoid shrinking and overbaking the shells. Let the filling cool before icing to prevent melting. Use less water for the icing to achieve the right consistency.