Creamy Strawberry Cookie Tarts

I'm back! Not that I really went anywhere. Sorry for my absence. I made these yummy strawberry cookie tarts for a work party and thought I would share them with you. I was a little worried about how these would taste with the jello mixture on top of a cookie and all...just seemed odd to me. But everyone at work really liked them, so yay! I mean the way I see it is you can't go wrong with anything that has cream cheese in it...am I right or am I right? I thought so. :o) These were really easy to make and took no time at all. I was thinking they would be really yummy will raspberry jello instead, oh and an Oreo cookie on the bottom...yummers!

Creamy Strawberry Cookie Tarts (from Kraft)
Yields: 12

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
• 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
• 12 CHIPS AHOY! Cookies
• 12 small strawberries

1. Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in small bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Cool 5 min., stirring occasionally.
2. Pour gelatin mixture into blender. Add cream cheese; cover. Blend on medium speed 30 to 45 sec. or until well blended; scrape down side of blender container, if needed. Add whipped topping; cover. Blend on low speed 5 sec. or just until blended.
3. Line 12 muffin pan cups with paper liners; spray with cooking spray. Place 1 cookie on bottom of each prepared cup; top evenly with the gelatin mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour 30 min. or until firm. Top each with a strawberry just before serving. Store leftover desserts in refrigerator.

-amanda

Chocolate Raspberry Tarts

I found this recipe on the Food Network site and could not wait to try it. The recipe yields 6 regular muffin size tarts, but I thought that would be too much richness for one person. I ended up making two in the large size so I could put a raspberry in the center like the recipe calls for and then made 12 mini ones as well.

Overall, I didn't think they were sweet enough. I wish now that I would have used semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (I used Oreos)
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 recipe Dark Chocolate Truffle mixture, recipe below
• 6 fresh raspberries, plus extra for serving

Mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Spray the cups of a 6-muffin tins (or mini tins if you choose) with a vegetable spray. Line the cups with strips of parchment or waxed paper, cut so that they are as wide as the diameter of each cup and long enough to overhang the sides (you'll need this overhang to remove the tarts).

Use the bottom of a small glass (I used the back of a measuring table spoon for the minis) to press the crumbs over the bottom and sides of the muffin cups, building the sides up. Place a raspberry in the center of each crust and with a pastry bag fill the tarts with the truffle mixture. Smooth the tops and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Dark Chocolate Truffle Mixture:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces good-quality (70 percent) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer over low heat. stir to avoid getting a skin on the cream. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl and let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. (I had to put mine in the microwave for about 15 secs or so because it was still chunky.) Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then beat the chocolate at medium speed until it gets thick and light colored.

-amanda