Mini Citrus Fruit Tarts

I just realized I haven’t done a food post in awhile, so don’t you worry, I’m back on track and sending yummy desserts your way! First up – this mini citrus fruit tart. Full of flavor and just perfect for a Fourth of July party! These have a great tangy citrus flavor mixed with the creaminess of the filling. These will be a showstopper for sure. And, like I’ve always said, mini desserts are the cutest. They are the best thing for parties because it doesn’t involve any cutting, plates, utensils, etc. It’s a grab and go kind of dessert that just screams red, white and blue! Oh and did I mention they’re pretty easy to make? Because who wants to spend time in the kitchen while everyone else is sitting poolside? Not this girl. Yummy dessert coming right up! Now let’s watch some fireworks.

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Mini Citrus Fruit Tarts – yield 14

Ingredients:

For the cookie cup
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I like to use unbleached)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon grapefruit zest (optional)

For the citrus filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese with greek yogurt (if you can’t find this package, regular cream cheese works fine)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh grapefruit juice (optional)
1 1/2 cups mixed berries

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Spray 12 standard size muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray
Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda; set aside
Step 4: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (with a mixer, usually 3 minutes)
Step 5: Add egg, vanilla, lemon and grapefruit (if using) zest to creamed mixture and mix until combined
Step 6: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated
Step 7: Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop (or eyeballing it to a 1 1/2 inch ball) spoon/scoop the dough into the muffin tin, dividing the dough evenly among cups
Step 8: Press cookie dough into bottom of cup and then about 1/2 way up the sides of the cup to form a cup shape. It does not need to go all the way up the sides of the tin as the cup is fairly shallow when complete
Step 9: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden
Step 10: Remove from oven and using the back of your cookie scoop or tablespoon, press down the center of each cookie to form a cup. As mentioned before you want a fairly shallow cup (maybe a 1/2 to 3/4 inch indention), so don’t force the pressing too much as the cookie will crumble
Step 11: Allow to cool completely
Step 12: To make the citrus filling – in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth
Step 13: Add sugar, lemon zest, lemon and grapefruit (if using) juice and beat until smooth.
Step 14: Once cookie cups are cool, remove from muffin tin. I took a knife and slid it around the edges of the cups and the cookies came out fairly easily. Some will crumble, but that’s okay as the filling will cover up an imperfections.
Step 15: Fill the cookie cups with filling. I used about 1 tablespoon per cup.
Step 16: Top with mixed berries

These are best served immediately, but will keep in your fridge for about 5 days in a sealed container. Enjoy!

Side note: As mentioned in the ingredient list, I found a cream cheese (at our local grocery store) that is half cream cheese, half greek yogurt. It has less fat than normal cream cheese and tastes almost identical. It has a bit of the greek yogurt bite to it, if you are familiar with that, but other than that, it works just like cream cheese. I may never go back!

Also – I used the grapefruit because I had some on hand and I think it gave the lemon flavor a good brightness. It’s definitely not essential, but feel free to play around with citrus. Lots of the flavor profiles go well together and make the dessert feel oh-so-summery.

 

Recipe adapted from Spoonful of Flavor