Okay, so the other day I was at Trader Joe’s, you know, doing my usual grocery run. And I stumbled upon these frozen egg tarts in the freezer section. I’ve always loved those little custard-y, flaky pastries you get at dim sum, so I was like, “Why not?” I grabbed a box.
Getting Started
The box was pretty straightforward. It had, I think, four egg tarts inside, all nestled in their own little foil cups. Instructions were simple enough – basically just preheat the oven and bake.
The Baking Process
- First, I preheated my oven to, I believe it was 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The box had the exact temperature, of course.
- While that was heating up, I took the tarts out of the box and removed the plastic wrap they were in.
- I am a little lazy, so I did not take the tarts from the foil. I placed them directly onto a baking sheet.
- Once the oven was ready, I popped the baking sheet in.
The box said to bake them for, like, 20 minutes or so, until the crust was golden brown and the custard was set. I’m not gonna lie, my kitchen started to smell amazing pretty quickly. That buttery, sweet scent just filled the whole place up.
Checking for Doneness
I checked on them after about 15 minutes, just to be safe. I poked the custard gently with a toothpick. At first, it was a little jiggly, so I gave them a little longer time. I think I ended up baking them for around 22 minutes total? I just kept peeking until the crust looked perfectly crispy and the custard looked firm enough.
The Final Result
I pulled them out of the oven and let them cool for a bit. I mean, I had to burn my mouth a little because I was too impatient to wait. The crust was super flaky and buttery, and the custard was sweet and creamy. Honestly, they were way better than I expected for something that came out of a freezer!
They weren’t exactly like the ones you get at a dim sum restaurant, but they were a pretty darn good substitute, especially for the price and convenience. I’d definitely grab another box next time I’m at Trader Joe’s.
