Tiny sweet treats. . .

Tarts!

These were my part of the foods served at a baby shower hosted today by a group of friends in our Sunday school class. It was fun to have a reason to prepare them; they were fruit tarts for a young couple preparing to have their first child, their first 'fruit' so to speak.

I have made larger ones but with all the goodies being served at the shower I knew I needed to scale the size down. . . and I found that a mini-muffin size worked perfectly. My husband called them "two bite tarts" but I saw that very title used on a package of tarts in our grocery store yesterday, so I won't use it officially here.

For those who are curious or those who want to know how. . . here is how!

Make some vanilla pudding, you can, of course buy the instant, or ready-made . . . you can, but I wouldn't because taste matters. I added a wee bit of vanilla extract to the cooled cooked pudding before using it. (I used a pudding mix that you cook, EASY in the microwave using a whisk between cooking times)

Buy chilled pie crusts OR make some using your food processor or mixer, yes, you can make pie dough in your mixer! Make enough dough for a 2 crust pie. It will yield 48 mini-muffin tart shells. Roll out one crust of dough, cut out with 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Place over the mini-muffin cups and use a pastry tamper, your thumb, or a spoon to press the dough into the muffin cup to get the shape. Press is firmly so it is well in place. Place the muffin tins filled with pastry rounds into a preheated oven set at 375 bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch them and bake them until just a bit golden brown. Take the trays out, remove the tart shells carefully and allow to fully cool on a wire wrap. Let your muffin tins cool too!

Continue using your cooled muffin tins to bake more pastry shells with the 2nd pie crust. Let all tart shells cool. Use immediately or put them in a self-closing plastic bag or other container to save for later. You can freeze them at this point and use as needed later.

*GREAT easy hospitaliTEA tip!*

Fill your tart shells with a teaspoon of cooled vanilla pudding and top with berries. Warm some apple jelly in the microwave and brush onto the berries gently. This will give it a lovely clear glaze you have likely seen and admired in fine bakeries. (I have admired full 10 inch fruit tarts in Harrods of London's Food Hall, wishing I lived there just long enough to buy one and serve it for tea to family and friends.) Now you can do it yourself!

For a variety I also filled some tarts with Nutella and topped with a raspberry; I also filled others with a teaspoon of raspberry curd and topped that with whipped cream and a bit of a fresh raspberry.

All of these tarts were delicious but the fruit tarts with pudding were the most favored today at the shower, I think due to their appearance with the glazed fruit.

These would make lovely Mother's Day desserts

Invite someone to tea soon.

Surprise your family with a platter of these. . .

and watch them as them as they enjoy with their eyes, taste them and thank you.

Truth For Life

The fruit of righteousness will be peace;

the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,

in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

Isaiah 32:17-18