Cherry Rose Tarts

 What do you get when you take Shortbread pie crust,  fill it with cherry pie filling, top it  with "pie crust rose petals"? You get delicious little Rose Tarts, just in time for Valentines Day.  

Let's get started.

Roll half of the pie dough onto floured surface to about 1/8 of an inch thickness.

Cut 36 circles with the larger round cookie cutter.

Place three circles of dough into each muffin cup, for a bottom crust. Stagger them so that they look like petals around the top.

Press them into the muffin cup, so that they fill the cup evenly, and are well pressed together.

Distribute the Cherry Pie filling evenly in the muffin cups. 

One can of Pie filling will fill 12 muffin cups.

In two or three batches, roll out remaining dough onto a floured surface to about 1/8 of an inch thickness. Cut about 72 small circles( You will want to do them in batches, so that the dough doesn't dry out as you go). These will be your petals.

Cut each circle in half to create a half circle.

Layer them like petals onto the tart. 

I layered about nine petals inside the tart, and then created a center 3 petals and placed it in the center of the tart.

 For the center, roll a dough petal into a tight tube. 

 Layer with 2 or three more petals, by wrapping around this tube.  If needed, dip them in water to help them adhere to each other.

 Place it in the center of the tart. You can see the tart on right has the center placed in, and the tart o the left needs its center put in.

  Place into preheated oven and  bake 25 - 35 minutes.

Cherry Rose Tarts:

Ingredients:

1 recipe Shortbread Pie Crust

1 21 ounce Can Cherry pie filling

1 recipe Almond Icing

1 12 cup Muffin Tin

Two sizes of round cookie cutters (the small one 2-3 inches across, the larger one 3-4 inches across); I used a round measuring shot glass for the small, and a slightly larger round cutter for the larger one)

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roll half of the pie dough onto floured surface to about 1/8 of an inch thickness.
3. Cut 36 circles with the larger round cookie cutter.
4. Place three circles of dough into each muffin cup, for a bottom crust. Stagger them so that they look like petals around the top.
5. Press them into the muffin cup, so that they fill the cup evenly, and are well pressed together.
6. Distribute the Cherry Pie filling evenly in the muffin cups. One can of Pie filling will fill 12 muffin cups.
7. In two or three batches, roll out remaining dough onto a floured surface to about 1/8 of an inch thickness.
8. Cut about 72 small circles( You will want to do them in batches, so that the dough doesn't dry out as you go). These will be your petals.
9. Cut each circle in half to create a half circle, and begin to layer them like petals onto the tart.  For the center, roll a dough petal into a tight tube.  Layer with 2 or three more petals, by wrapping round this tube.  If needed, dip them in water to help them adhere to each other. Place in the center of the tart.
10. When all are finished, place in oven and bake 25 - 35 minutes; or until the crust is slightly golden brown.
11. Drizzle with Icing,  or dust with powdered sugar.
12. Serve hot or cold.
13. Enjoy.

Note: These look pretty just dusted with powdered sugar, but they taste the best with the Almond icing drizzled over them.

Shortbread Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

3  cups Organic Unbleached Flour (plus 1 cup for dusting and rolling).

1 1//4  cup Butter, slightly softened

3/4 cup Organic Cane Sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup Organic Half and Half or Cream.

2 Tablespoons Organic White Vinegar

Instructions:

1. Measure half and half and Vinegar together in a small bowl, and place into the freezer to chill.
2. Measure flour, salt and  sugar into a mixing bowl.
3. Cut in butter until the mixture is thoroughly blended and crumbly.
4. Slowly add the cream and vinegar mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until all of the dough clings together, (don't be afraid to adjust the liquid up or down a little, to get just enough moisture in the dough to allow it to cling together nicely, but not be too wet).
5. Stir and form into a ball.
6. Cover and refrigerate about an hour, for best rolling results.

Almond Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup Organic Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon Almond Extract

1-2 Tablespoons Organic Half and Half

Instructions:

1. Add powdered sugar to a small mixing bowl.
2. Add almond extract, and  stir.
3. Stir and add the "Half and Half a little at a time, until the icing can be drizzled from a spoon.
4. For this recipe, I saved a little of the cherry pie filling to add some color to the icing (less than a teaspoon), so that is an option if you want to add some color to your icing.

Dust them with Powdered Sugar,

Or drizzle them with Almond Icing.

Enjoy!