Nut-tarts

It occured to me sometime in the night that you all might like the recipes for the cookies I'm making - so I figured I'd post them here :)

Nut tarts are easy, but a bit time consuming. Plan on spending about about an hour or so in the kitchen when making these babies.

Special Tools required:
Mini muffin pans or tart pans
Tart shaper (I use a wooden one by Pampered chef)

Tart:
1 cup room temperature butter (Nonsalted)
1 8oz brick cream cheese
1 C flour

Filling:
Crushed walnuts - about a cup to 2 cups or so
2 eggs
1 tspn vanilla
1 pinch of salt
1 1/3 cup of packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325* F

Step 1:
With electric mixer cream together butter & cream cheese. slowly add flour 1/4 cup at a time until beaten together. Try not to overmix your dough or your pastry will be hard and crumbly instead of light and layered.

Step 2:
Grabbing small mounds of dough (or use a small cookie scoop) roll out 1 to 1 1/2" balls of dough and place each in cup of ungreased mini muffin pan. (remember how much butter/cream cheese is in the dough - you definitely do not need to grease the pan)

Step 3:
Once you've placed dough balls into all the muffin tins, take a small amount of sugar, and place in a small shallow dish. Use this to 'flour' your tart shaper so that it doesn't stick to the dough when you're trying to shape your tarts.

Step 4:
Take the end of your tart shaper and tap down the dough a bit to form more of a flat sphere in the bottom of the muffin cup. Then push the tart shaper into the dough, forming a cup shape with the dough. Pull the tart shaper straight up (do not twist, but you can rock a bit to help the dough release the tart shaper if necessary)

Step 5:
Mix together your 2 eggs, Brown sugar, salt and vanilla.
Set to the side

Step 6:
Spoon crushed walnuts into each tart shape, and then cover each with Egg/sugar mixture. (there will probably be leftover egg/sugar mixture)

Step 7:

Bake tarts in oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes to cool and then carefully remove from pan to cooling rack until fully cooled. Can be stored in air tight container for up to 5 days. Can be eaten slightly warm or cooled.


Enjoy!

Kisha