Pre-heat your oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Cream the fats and sugar: Add 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup vegan butter, and 1 cup sugar to a bowl and mix together with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy.
Add egg replacer and extract: Stir together 1 1/2 tsp egg replacer powder and 2 tbsp water until it gets foamy.Add this, and 1 tsp almond extract, to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix for another minute.
Add in the flour: Mix in 2 1/2 cups flour with the electric mixer about ½ cup at a time until the dough forms little chunks. (It almost looks like sand). You may need to add another tablespoon or 2 of flour to get the chunky consistency. If your dough looks like cookie dough, it doesn’t have enough flour and your tarts will not come together correctly.
Fill the tartlet tins: Scoop up the sandy tart dough with the tartlet tin and then hold the tin over the bowl while you press the center down with your thumbs. Allow excess dough to fall back into the bowl and form the dough until it is evenly covering the tin about ¼ inch thick. Repeat this until all of the tins are filled.
Bake the tarts: Place the filled tartlet tins on a cookie sheet with edges (so they won’t fall off) and bake them for 12-14 minutes until they are slightly golden.
Take out of the tin: Allow the tarts to cool in the tins, then squeeze the edges of the tin slightly to get them to pop out. (You may need to stick a knife in along the edge to help pop them out).
Fill the Tarts: You can use any pie filling that you like to fill the tarts.
Notes
Storing the tarts: You can keep the tarts in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the pantry.
Freeze the tarts: You can freeze the tarts if sealed well in an airtight container for a month. They may get a little chewy when defrosted.
Filling the tarts: Don’t fill the tarts until you are ready to eat them. The wetness from the pie filling will make them soggy after about 12 hours. If bringing them to a party or event, they travel better if you fill the tarts once you arrive.