Do you have a mini muffin tin?

Use the Lemon Tassies variation:
PECAN TASSIES (Or Lemon Tassies)
Pastry:
3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 cup flour
Dash of salt
Blend together the cream cheese, margarine, flour & salt. Shape into 24 balls; press each ball into 1 3/4" mini-muffin tins (press dough in bottom & sides w/fingers; do not leave any holes.)

Filling:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 TBL margarine, melted
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of salt
1 cup pecans, chopped

Combine eggs, brown sugar, margarine, vanilla & salt. Mix well (do not beat with beater or tops will be crusty instead of nutty.) Divide pecans evenly in pastry shells. Pour filling in shells, filling 2/3 full. Bake in apreheated 350 oven 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from pans. Cool on wire rack. Makes 24.~~

For Lemon Tassies substitute white sugar for brown; omit pecans & add 2 TBL lemon juice & 1 tsp lemon zest.~~

LEMON TARTLETS (makes 36)
Tart shells:
6 TBL butter
8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup flour
Dash of salt

Filling:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 lemons
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten

For the shells, combine tart shell ingredients. Mix well. Roll into small balls. Press into lightly greased mini muffin pans. Bake in a preheated 325° oven for about 25 minutes.
For the lemon filling, combine lemon juice, zest & sugar in top of a double boiler. Add butter & heat over boiling wter until butter is melted. Add eggs & continue cooking about 15 minutes o runtil thick. Chill & fill tart shells.~~ (Lemon filling may be kept refrigerated for a couple wekks.

Here's a tart shell recipe that works with all kinds of fillings:
SWEET PASTRY SHELLS
3 cups flour
2 TBL sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, chilled
About 3 TBL ice water
1 egg, beaten
1-2 TBL water

Combine the flour, sugar & salt in a mixer bowl & mix well. Cut in the butter using the paddle attachment at low speed until crumbly. Add just enough ice water until the dough adheres & mix well. The addition of too much water will make a tough dough. Chill 30 minutes. Roll the dough to fit individual tart pans, allowing 1/4" overhang to allow for shrinkage. Prick tart shells with a fork. Blind bake the dough (after lining w/parchment & weighting with dried beans) in a preheated 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until very light brown. Remove the parchment & beans. Brush a mixture of the egg & water over the bottoms. Bake a few more minutes until light brown.~~

Here are a few that we like. You can make any favourite tart recipe into mini tarts.

Ann

Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

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Source: Appeal Magazine

Shortbread crust

1 cup butter softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

Filling

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs well beaten
1/2 cups butter at room temperature
. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine shortbread ingredients in the bowl of an
electric mixer. Mix to form dough. Divide dough into 24 pieces. Pat each
portion of dough into a 1 1/2" (4 cm) tart tin, using your fingers to shape
it into a shell. Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork. Bake 10
minutes and then prick bottoms again as the shells puff up. Bake an
additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow tarts to cool on a wire
rack before filling.

To prepare lemon filling, combine juice and zest in a double boiler. Whisk
in sugar, eggs and butter, blending well. Place over gently boiling water
and whisk constantly until mixture thickens. Cool before using to fill tart
shells. Lemon filling can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the
refrigerator.

(Note: I did not cook using a double boiler. I added the juice, zest,
sugar and butter to the pot and brought to a boil. Then I beat the eggs
and added some of the hot mixture to the eggs to temper before adding this
egg mixture to the pan. I continued to stir over low heat until the mixture
thickened.)

Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Peanut butter and chocolate cookie Tarts
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Dough

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter smooth
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Chocolate filling

4 oz semisweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1/3 cup butter
2 cups sifted Icing Sugar
. Cream butter with peanut butter until very smooth. Beat in sugars. Beat in
egg and yolk. Add vanilla. Sift flour with baking soda and mix well. Stir
into butter mixture. Press balls of dough into well buttered mini muffin
tins. Each ball of dough should be about 3/4's the size of the muffin tin -
when you intent the centre it should form the shape of a pudgy little tart
shell.

Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until ouside is baked but
inside is still chewy. Do not over bake. Cool five minutes on rack and
then remove from tins. Cool completely.

Filling

Combine chocolate, cocoa, milk and butter in small saucepan. Melt over low
heat. Mix until smooth. Cool. Beat in icing sugar to give consistencey of
icing. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling into each tart.

Note: YOu can spoon the filling in to the centre, but it looks nicer when
piped.

Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

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1/4 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup walnut halves

Optional - 1/2 cup currants or raisins
water

.
Blend together the butter and brown sugar. Beat the eggs lightly and stir
into the butter and brown sugar and add the corn syrup. (You can substitute
Corn syrup for all or part of the Maple syrup.), add vanilla and raisins
if using.

Fill tart shells about two thirds full. Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes
or until pastry is golden.

The filling in these tarts is runny. Do not over bake or the filling will
firm up. Let tarts set in the tins for about 3 minutes. Remove carefully
and cool on racks. Makes about twenty 3 inch tarts.

Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Butter-Lard Pastry
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2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup lard (or shortening)
5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water

(note: if using for a sweet pie, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar.)
. Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard.

(Note: I use the cuisinart to cut in my fat and then move the mixture to a
bowl to add the water by hand). I like to have to do this by feel which I
find I can't do by machine)

Put flour mixture in bowl and add water mixing with a fork until pastry
comes together. Form in to a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each into a
round flat disc and refrigerate for 1 hour.

TINY CHERRY CHEESECAKES
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/ 4 cup baking cocoa
1/ 2 cup cold butter
2 Tbsp. cold water
Filling:
2 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/ 4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and cocoa: cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide and shape into 24 balls. Place a ball in greased miniature muffin cups; press dough evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of each cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add egg; beat on low just until combined. Spoon about 1 tablespoonful into each cup. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully remove from pans to cool completely. Top with pie filling. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 2 dozen.
Source: Taste of Home magazine

That one sounds good, Ruthanna with a real crust instead of the vanilla wafers. Interesting it has cocoa in it too.

I recently saw a picture of a pastry that had lemon curd at the base and then a combo of berries (black, blue, and raspberries) on top sprinkled with sugar. It was a little bigger than a "tart." It looked beautiful, but I am not sure what was used as the "crust." Could puff pastry be used or would a regular pastry crust be better?

Gail

Gail, I've mad the recipe below a couple of times & the crust is easy & just great. Lisa, this crust would work for mini tarts, too. It makes a nice crisp crust that shatters, sort of. Really tasty & the crust freezes very well unbaked. The recipe for lemon curd is also excellent.