Strawberry Tart

I was at a picnic this spring where my friend Lisa DeBord brought a scrumptious fruit tart. I was amazed by the crust and asked how she made it. With a smirk and a roll of the eyes, she said it was soooo hard. . . it's sugar cookie dough! So this past week when my parents came to visit, I thought I'd try a little experiment. Sugar cookie crust, fruit dip filling, and topped off with my favorite fruit!

Beware, this is about to sound like a Pampered Chef ad! What can I say? I used to sell it and not only is my kitchen full, I love their products!

My sister-in-law Jame gave me the Mini Tart pan with the wooden plunger that shapes the tarts. This is something that takes a little practice to get right, but once you have the hang of it, it goes quickly. It makes it look like you are a gourmet chef!

Preheat the oven to 375. You won't need to grease the pan if it's non-stick since the cookie dough is very greasy itself (or as we say in the south, greazy). Pinch off enough dough to half-fill the tart cup, dip your dowel shaper in flour, tap off the excess, and gently form the crusts. Start checking it at 5 min.

I was slightly startled to see some of the crusts puffing up when I checked them! A simple pat with the dowel fixed the problem. I found that 7 min was about right, but the best way to know is when you see the edges get golden brown. For this crust, the crispier, the better!

Let the crusts cool before trying to pop them out with a icing spatula or spoon. Don't scratch your non-stick bake ware!

The roll of dough made almost two trays of crusts. To prevent soggy bottoms, fill them right before consumption.

Speaking of filling, this recipe is a variation of a fruit dip that Beth Clouse Claxton taught me years ago:

One box of cream cheese, room temp

1/2 carton of cool whip

1/2 box of powdered sugar

One tsp of vanilla

Mix with hand mixer, and enjoy!

Since I knew the crust was going to be super sweet, this is half the sugar and half the cool whip of the original recipe. A decorator's piping bag would be perfect, but since I didn't have mine handy, I took a gallon zip-lock, snipped of the tip, and put two big globs of filling inside. This is easier if you only put enough in that you can grasp with your hand. To refill, hold in left hand, peel the edges around your left hand until the bottom of the bag is accessible, and put another couple of scoops in. A gentle squeeze in a swirling motion should do the trick to fill the cups!

I then used my Pampered Chef slicer (good for mushrooms, olives and strawberries), to slice the capped berries. Place as many slices as you like on top, but I found that three was the magic number.

Caution: guests will come back for

seconds!