Fancy Tarts

Several people have asked, so here it is... my Fancy Tart recipe!

What you'll need:

2 pie crusts (mine were store-bought)
1 package of cream cheese, softened
1/3 Cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or almond) extract
1 can pie filling (I used cherry or blueberry, but any flavor would work)
a pinch of sugar

Assembly:

Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Roll out your pie dough (not too thin) and cut out your shapes.  I used a flower shaped cookie cutter, but you could use any shape - or an upside-down glass.  Arrange half of your shapes on a greased baking sheet. 

Mix together cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla, then spread a layer onto your cut-outs.  Leave about 1/2 inch on the edges for easy sealing.  Top cheesecake mixture with your pie filling.

Roll the other half of your cut-outs so they are slightly larger than the "bottom" pieces so that they will cover your filling mounds.  Seal the top and bottom together (I used a fork).  Cut a small vent in the top piece with a sharp knife. Sprinkle a dusting of granulated sugar over the tops.

Bake for 20 minutes.  *Optional: mix powdered sugar and milk to create a glaze for your tarts (about 1/4 Cup of sugar for each Tablespoon of milk, depending on how thick you like it)

I inevitably end up with leftover ingredients, which I like to pile into a baking dish (bake at 400 for about 30 minutes) and serve as a pie:

I made these yum-yums for our fancy Valentine's Day home-cooked Olive Garden take-out meal.  We scarfed them down, they were so good! Enjoy!

Babes love tissue paper