Cocoa Tartlet Shells

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Into a bowl sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda and with a pastry blender or your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon ice water, tossing mixture with a fork until water is incorporated, and add enough remaining ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, tossing to incorporate, so that mixture begins to form a dough. Form dough into a ball and divide into 6 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

   Step 2

   Preheat oven to 375°F.

   Step 3

   Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 5-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Discard top sheet of plastic wrap and invert dough onto a 3 1/2-inch tartlet pan (1 inch deep), discarding remaining sheet of plastic wrap. Fit dough into pan and trim flush with edge of pan, pressing dough gently against side of pan. Prick bottom of shell with a fork and chill while preparing remaining shells. Make and chill 5 more shells with remaining dough in same manner.

   Step 4

   Line shells with foil and bake on a baking sheet in middle of oven 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake shells until cooked through, about 5 minutes more (pastry will no longer be shiny). Cool shells in pans on a rack. Shells may be made 3 days ahead and kept in pans in airtight containers.