- 500 g of shortcrust pastry, or pâte brisée.
- 4 eggs
- 100 g of powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar
- 60 g ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 60 g of melted butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 100 g sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar for decoration
- 150 g of wheat flour
- 75 g of butter
- 1 egg
- A pinch of salt
To make the shortcrust pastry:
Important note: If you decide to make the shortcrust pastry at home, you will need to double the ingredients we provide in order to obtain 500 grams of dough. The steps are as follows:
In a bowl, add the sifted flour and the butter. Mix with your fingers until you achieve a crumbly texture. Then add the egg and salt, and continue to work the dough with your fingers until you can form a ball with it.
Let it rest, covered, for one hour at a cool temperature. Then place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a thickness of about 0.3 cm. Next, cut it into the shape of the mold you will be using.
If you buy pre-made shortcrust pastry, you just need to cut out the shapes according to the mold you will use to make the merlitons.
For the Merlitones, you will need to use tartlet or muffin molds. Arrange them in a comfortable workspace and grease them with butter so that the dough releases easily after baking. This recipe yields 18 servings.
Roll out the dough to about 3 millimeters thick. Use a glass to cut out circles to cover the bottom and sides of the molds. Once you have them ready, store them in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling dough.
For the filling:
Separate the yolks and the whites into different bowls.
In a deep bowl, mix the room-temperature butter with the powdered sugar and the tablespoon of cornstarch. Once well combined, add the egg yolks and vanilla, and continue beating until you achieve a light yellow dough. Set it aside.
Preheat the oven to 180º C.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and add the two tablespoons of sugar. Gently fold them into the beaten yolks using a folding motion. Finally, add the ground almonds and mix everything together thoroughly. At first, it may seem challenging, but they will combine very well.
Fill the molds that you have prepared. This batter rises a bit, so it's best not to fill them too much. Only fill them three-quarters full. Cover them by sprinkling with powdered sugar and sliced almonds.
Bake them for 30 minutes at 160ºC (320ºF). Before removing them from the oven, check that they are thoroughly cooked by inserting a wooden stick; it should come out clean. Take them out of the oven and let them cool before unmolding.
They are delicious to pair with a latte, a fruit smoothie, or a soft drink.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Bon appétit!