Mini Pecan Pies

These pies gave me such a hard time at first! I pre-baked the pie crusts in my muffin pan, as I usually do for these type of recipes; but this time, the crusts "sunk" a little bit more than usual. So I decided to over-fill the crusts with the pecan filling in order compensate for the lost height.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well - a lot, actually: The overflown filling stuck to the muffin pan so bad and could not be removed (who would have thought that a gooey filling based on sugar, corn-syrup and eggs would stick to anything?...) - I actually had to throw away my muffin pan!...

Before I threw away the pan, I scraped whatever I could from it and tasted - and it was absolutely divine!
Saddened by the ruined pan, yet encouraged by the wonderful taste of (whatever I could salvage from) the pies, I did what anyone else is supposed to do after throwing away a ruined pan - I bought two new pans! A regular muffin pan, identical to the one that I had before, and another pan especially for mini-tarts! Oh, special-mini-tarts-pan, where have you been all my life?...
The second time around went much much better! The secret is - you guessed it - do not overfill the pies' crusts! And use a mini-tarts pan when making mini-tarts. Kind of a no-brainer...

I initially tried to go for a neatly folded edge for my mini-pies crust, however it was quite challenging to do (at least for me....); so I ended up doing a more "rustic" folding (which kind-of opened up in the oven anyway...); eventually - they turned out rustically-cute!

The crust recipe is based on a chocolate "porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo.
The pecan filling recipe is based on the Pecan Pie recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
None of the reference above is to blame in any way for my first attempt mishap! (sadly and shamefully, I take full responsibility for that one...). 

Mini Pecan Pies
Yields: 12 mini pies

WHAT:
for the crust:

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

for the pecan filling:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (180 gr) light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar
• a pinch of salt
• a (larger) pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (170 gr / 6 ounce) roughly-chopped pecans, divided to 1 cup (4 ounce) and 1/2 cup (2 ounce). 

for the frosting (optional):

• 2 heaping tbsp cocoa-hazelnut spread (e.g. Nutella)
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

HOW:

• Prepare the Crust Dough: Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In a food processor or a mixer with a flat beater, mix together butter and sugar until well combined. 
• Add in egg and a quarter of the flour mixture. Mix for a few seconds. 
• Add in the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until a large dough-ball is formed, not beyond. 
• If mixture is too dry and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of milk, as needed. 
• If mixture is too soft/wet and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of flour, as needed. 
• Form the dough into a 1/2 inch thick disc shape. 
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the "Crust" stage (at least 30 minutes). 
• Prepare the Pecan Filling: Put the butter In a small saucepan; place over medium heat until butter is melted plus 4-5 additional minutes, stirring occasionally, until butter darkens and has a nutty fragrance (but be careful not to burn it!). Remove from heat, set aside. 
• Whisk together (vigorously - the corn syrup is quite stubborn!) corn syrup, sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined. 
• Whisk in the eggs, one at a time (don't add the second egg before the first one is well-combined into the mixture) until well combined. 
• Slowly pour the melted butter into the mixture, while whisking constantly; continue to whisk until everything is well combined. 
• Stir 1 cup chopped pecans into the mixture. Set mixture aside. 
• [the mixture would be gooey and liquid-y; if you plan to pour the filling into the crust (that's what I did), I recommend transferring the filling mixture into a vessel with a pouring tip; alternatively, you can spoon the filling into the crust (no need to transfer the filling into a different vessel in that case)]
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F)
• Crust: Remove refrigerated crust dough from plastic wrap, and knead/mold a little with your hands, to warm it up a bit. 
• Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to be ~3-4 mm thick on a generously-flour-dusted surface. 
• Prepare one mini-pie: Using a 4-inch-diameter cookie/biscuit cutter or a similar tool with which you can cut round shapes (e.g. a small bowl), cut a disc out of the flattened dough. 
• Line one cavity of a mini-tart pan with the dough disc (no need to oil the pan or line it with paper liners), pressing the disc to the bottom and sides of the cavity to form the mini-pie crust. There should be a ~1/2 inch dough edge hanging out of the cavity.
  Make sure that there are no tears in the dough, do not puncture the dough. 
• Give the filling a good stir (the pecans tend to float to the top of the filling; stirring will evenly distribute them again within the filling) and pour into the mini-pie-crust ~1 tbsp of filling. I cannot stress this enough - do not overfill the crust!
• Sprinkle some chopped pecans (out of the 1/2 cup of pecans that didn't go into the filling mixture) on top of the filling. 
• Freely (yet gently) fold the dough edges that are hanging out of the cavity inwards to cover the cavity edges on top of the filling. Be careful not to get the filling spilled out of the crust and into the metal cavity in the process. 
• Repeat the "Prepare one mini-pie" process for the other 11 cavities in the pan. 
• [Leftover dough? Make some jam sandwich cookies!]
• Baking: Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake for ~25 minutes until crust is golden and filling is set. 
• Remove pan from the oven and let it completely cool down in room temperature, at least 1-2 hours. 
• At this stage, you can enjoy the mini-pies immediately, or frost them. In any case, this would be a good time to take them out of the pan.  
• Frosting (optional): Using a mixer with a whipping attachment, whip together all frosting ingredients on high speed until firm. 
• Transfer the frosting into a pastry bag with a star tip attached, and frost a "star" on top of each mini-pie. 
• Enjoy immediately! 

Leftovers? If you haven't frosted your mini-pies, they can be kept for a few days in an airtight container in room temperature. If you went decadent and frosted your mini-pies (of course you did!), keep the mini-pies in an airtight container in the fridge. Since these mini-pies are at their best in room-temperature, take them out of the fridge for 15-30 minutes before digging into them. 

Individual Oreo Cheesecakes

So... I discovered Pinterest lately. Interests? Desserts, sweets, cakes, and anything in between (not surprising).
Anyway, through Pinterest I found out that there is a massive amount of Oreo cheesecakes recipes on the internet! Who knew?... No wonder though - they are all so easy to make, look divine, and probably taste pretty good as well. 

We are so tiny!... Click us, we will get bigger :)

The following Oreo cheesecakes are inspired, well, by the other million Oreo cheesecakes out there... However(!) - these are exceptionally rich and decadent thanks to the fairly huge amount of chocolate used here. 
The cheesecake filling in this recipe is taken from a "Cheesecake with Raspberries and White Chocolate" recipe which appears on a Hebrew version/adaptation of "The Little Big Cook Book" that I have. 

Individual Oreo Cheesecakes
Yields: 12 individual cakes

WHAT:
for the bottom:

• 6 regular Oreo cookies

for the cheesecake filling:

• 16 ounces (454 grams / 2 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 8 ounces (227 grams) white chocolate
• 150 grams sugar

for the chocolate frosting:

• 4 ounces (113 grams) semi-sweet chocolate
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream, divided to 150 ml and 50 ml (the 50 ml should be cold from the fridge)
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

for the decoration:

• 12 mini-Oreo cookies

HOW:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
• Start preparing the chocolate frosting: Place semi-sweet chocolate and 150 ml of heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe/heat-safe bowl. 
• Heat bowl in the microwave or place it over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted, well combined with the cream and smooth. Set aside in room temperature for a few minutes to cool down. 
• Wrap bowl with plastic-wrap and put in the fridge until the cakes are ready to be frosted - at least 2 hours. 
• Pre-filling: Line a regular cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners. 
• Separate each one of the 6 regular Oreo cookie-sandwiches so that you will have 12 individual cookies. 
• Place each individual cookie at the bottom of each cavity in the pan, cookie-filling-side facing up. 
• Cheesecake Filling: Place white chocolate in a medium microwave-safe/heat-safe bowl. 
• Heat bowl in the microwave or place it over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside. 
• Using a mixer with a flat beater attachment, mix together cream cheese and sugar until well combined. 
• Add the melted white chocolate into the mixer, continue mixing until well combined. 
• Add eggs into the mixer, one at the time (add second egg only after first egg is well combined into the mixture). If needed - stop mixer, scrape bowl sides and continue mixing until everything is well combined. 
• Using a couple of spoons, scoop ~1 1/2 or 2 heaping tbsp of the cheese mixture into each one of the pan cavities (on top of the cookie bottoms). Each cavity should be almost completely full (until about ~1/2 inch below the top edge). 
• Tap the pan on the counter a few times and shake it from side to side a little bit to flatten the cheese mixture in the cavities and eliminate any air-bubbles, if any. 
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Cakes will puff up. 
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to completely cool down in room temperature, at least 1-2 hours. Cakes will "deflate" and a small cavity will form at the center of each cake - it's perfectly OK. 
• At this stage, it is recommended to transfer the cheesecakes from the pan into the container in which the cheesecakes will go through their final cooling in the fridge. The container should be airtight. 
• Chocolate frosting: Clean your mixer bowl thoroughly [assuming you don't want raw eggs residue (from the cream-cheese filling prep) in your frosting]. 
• Remove bowl with semi-sweet chocolate ganache from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap. 
• Transfer the chocolate ganache into the clean mixer bowl. 
• Add 50 ml cold heavy whipping cream and vanilla pudding mix into the mixer bowl. 
• Using the mixer's whipping attachment, mix the frosting ingredients for ~1 minute until firm frosting is formed. 
• Transfer frosting into a pastry bag with a large star or round tip attached. 
• Fill the small cavities in the center of each cheesecake with the frosting. 
• Decoration: Top each cheesecake with a mini-Oreo cookie. 
• Refrigerate cheesecakes for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. 
• Enjoy!

Leftovers? Keep cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

In case you're wondering... I photographed the upside-down cake before the frosting stage... :)

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Coconut Cupcakes

For my husband's birthday, I've tried to encapsulate all of his favorite flavors in a single dessert. And I think I've succeeded!

These cupcakes are based on the best chocolate cake recipe by Efrat Lichtenstadt [it is really the best. I checked! :)]. 
Not a big fan of coconut and/or peanut-butter? (a) why?...  (b) just prepare the cupcakes without them - you will end up with very basic yet extremely delicious chocolate cupcakes with whipped-cream frosting! 

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Coconut Cupcakes
Yields: 12 Cupcakes (+ potentially a few mini-cupcakes - prepare your mini-muffin pan, just in case)

WHAT:
for the cupcakes:

• 150 grams semi-sweet chocolate
• 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 40 ml vegetable oil (not olive oil!)
• 3 eggs
• 150 grams sugar
• 110 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 50 grams shredded unsweetened coconut

for the peanut-butter core:

• a few heaping tbsp of your favorite peanut-butter, room temperature

for the frosting:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 heaping tbsp sugar
• 1 heaping tbsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

for the toasted coconut decoration: 

• a few tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut

HOW:

• Preheat oven to 355 degrees (F). 
• Cupcakes: Place chocolate and butter in a (heat-resistant/microwave-safe) medium bowl. 
• Place over a double-boiler or a warm in the microwave until chocolate and butter are melted.
• Add in the oil. Stir well. Set aside to cool in room temperature for a few minutes. 
• In a mixer with a whipping attachment, whip eggs on high speed for approximately 1 minute. 
• Gradually add in the sugar, continue whipping for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Manually fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs mixture until well combined, not beyond. 
• Sift in flour and baking powder, add in salt and coconut, manually mix everything together until combined, not beyond. 
• Line cavities of a regular muffin/cupcake pan with muffin/cupcake paper liners. 
• Fill the paper-lined cavities with the cupcakes batter up to ~1/3 height. 
• Peanut-butter core: Using two teaspoons or a small pastry bag, place a small peanut-butter "blob" in the middle of each cupcake cavity (on top of the chocolate). 
• Fill the cupcakes-cavities with the rest of the cupcakes-batter until almost completely full. 
• [leftover batter? prepare extra mini-muffins/cupcakes using a mini-muffins/cupcakes pan]
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. 
• [mini muffins/cupcakes should be baked less time, about 15 minutes]
• Take pan out of the oven and let it completely cool in room temperature, at least 1 hour. 
• [At this point, I recommend taking the cupcakes out of the pan]
• Frosting: In a mixer with a whipping attachment (remember to thoroughly clean mixer bowl and whipping attachment after the eggs mixing at the beginning!), whip together the frosting ingredients until firm. 
• Using a pastry bag with a star tip, frost the cupcakes. 
• Toasted coconut decoration: Place a dry (i.e. not oiled) pan over medium-high heat. 
• Once pan is hot, evenly spread the coconut in the pan and toast it until golden, stirring occasionally. 
• Transfer toasted coconut to a small clean bowl, let it cool a few minutes in room temperature. 
• Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top of the cupcakes' frosting. 
• Enjoy!

Leftovers? Keep the cupcakes refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4-5 days. The cupcakes are at their best when at room temperature, so leave refrigerated cupcakes out in room temperature for 15-30 minutes before digging into them. 

Vanilla-Mango Tartelettes

Yes, it's officially fall. Time to dust off the coats, scarves, gloves and snow shovels - they will become handy really soon! 
Since I am still in denial about that fall arriving (join me, denial it's fun!), I am going to behave as if it is still 80 degrees and sunny outside, and prepare a dessert with the oh-so-tropical-and-summer-y mango! 

Catching a tan in the sun! I mean, in the oven...

And now we're cooling off in room temperature!

The tartelettes crust in this recipe is based on a chocolate "porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo.
The vanilla filling is based on an "Egg Tarts" recipe by Gal. 

Vanilla-Mango Tartelettes
Yields: 12 Tartelettes

WHAT:
for the crust: 

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

for the vanilla filling: 

• 300 grams (3/4 can) sweetened condensed milk.
  [Keep the 1/4 leftover can in the fridge, well wrapped (it should be good for a week or two) and prepare Caramel Apple Blondies next week!]
• 4 eggs
• 200 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract / paste

for the mango frosting:

• 100 grams peeled, cubed mango (fresh or frozen, not thawed)
• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy whipping cream, cold
• 3 heaping tbsp sugar
• 1 heaping tbsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

HOW:

• Crust: Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In a food processor or a mixer with a flat beater, mix together butter and sugar until well combined. 
• Add in egg and a quarter of the flour mixture. Mix for a few seconds. 
• Add in the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until a large dough-ball is formed, not beyond. 
• If mixture is too dry and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of milk, as needed. 
• If mixture is too soft/wet and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of flour, as needed. 
• Form the dough into a 1/2 inch thick disc shape. 
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). 
• Pre-heat oven to 390 degrees (F)
• Remove refrigerated dough from plastic wrap, and knead/mold a little with your hands, to warm it up a bit. 
• Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to be ~3-4 mm thick on a generously-flour-dusted surface. 
• Using a 4-inch-diameter cookie/biscuit cutter or a similar tool with which you can cut round shapes (e.g. a small bowl), cut 12 "discs" out of the flattened dough. 
• [Leftover dough? Make some jam sandwich cookies!]
• Line a regular cupcake/muffin pan with the dough "discs" (no need to oil the pan or line it with paper liners), pressing each disc to the bottom and sides of each cupcake/muffin "cavity" to form the tartelettes' crusts. 
• Using a fork, puncture the bottom of each disc a couple of times (to prevent air-pockets). 
• Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze until pre-bake assembly. 
• Filling (prepare while pan is in the freezer): 
• In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla extract/paste until well combined. 
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh into a clean medium-large bowl. 
• Add milk to the mixture and whisk everything together until well combined. 
• Transfer mixture to a vessel with a pouring tip/nozzle (such a large measuring glass). 
• Pre-bake assembly: Take out the pan with the tartelette-crusts from the freezer, remove wrap.
• Carefully fill each tartelette crust with the filling-mixture until completely full. 
• Carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Bake tartelettes for 10 minutes. 
• Reduce oven heat to 355 degrees (F) and bake for another 10 minutes. 
• Turn off the oven, leave the tartelettes in the oven for another 10 minutes. 
• Remove pan from the oven, let it sit in room temperature until completely cooled down, at least 1-2 hours. 
• [The tartelettes will puff-up in the oven, then lose some of their volume while cooling down, especially in the center (see the "in the oven" image vs. the "cooling-off" image above) - it's fine.]
• At this stage, it is recommended to take the tartelettes out of the pan (it would be harder to do so once they are frosted).
  You can put each tartelette in a cupcake-paper-liner at this stage, if you'd like.
  In order to take the tartelettes out of the pan, use a very thin small knife or a small offset spatula (slide knife/spatula between the crust and the pan and run it all around each cavity in the pan until tartelette edges are completely released from the sides of the cavity. Now slide the knife/spatula underneath the tartelette to release it from the bottom of the cavity and use it to gently lift the tartelette on one side; take the tartelette out of the pan with your other hand). 
• Mango frosting: Puree the mango in a food processor or blender with 1/2 cup heavy cream until a smooth paste is formed. 
• Transfer the mango paste to a mixer with a whipping attachment, and whip with the other 1/2 cup heavy cream and vanilla pudding mix until well combined and firm. 
• If the frosting is not firming up well and you are concerned about over-whipping which may "break" the heavy cream, simply mix as much as you can until almost completely firm, wrap the frosting and put it in the fridge for a few minutes - that should further firm up the mixture a bit. 
• Using a pastry bag with a star tip, frost each tartelette with the frosting. 
• Enjoy!

Leftovers? Keep the tartelettes in an air-tight container in the fridge. 

The tartelettes are at their best on the first two days, afterwards the crust may become softer. I recommend to consume within 4-5 days.

Caramel-Apple Blondies

I came across a lot of apple-related recipes recently - not surprising, given that last week was the Jewish New Year holiday. 
I admit - I am not a big fan of recipes with apples in them, but some of these recipes looked really good!. Plus, Halloween is just around the corner (maybe a couple of corners...), so caramel apples seemed like a classic choice to base my next dessert on. 
Long story short - I pulled myself together, temporarily ignored the fact that I am not an apple-dessert fan and that I need to deal with caramel for this one, and what do you know - eventually these turned out great!

These blondies did not just turn out great by a coincidence; after all, they are based on awesome recipes: 

The blondies recipe is taken from a "white chocolate and raspberry blondies" recipe (without the raspberries, obviously...) by Natalie Levin and Efrat Lichtenstadt, which also appears in their amazing baking book, The Sweet Book.

The apple layer and the hazelnut streusel recipes are taken from a "hazelnut crumble apple pie" recipe by Natalie Levin. 

The caramel/taffy recipe (which, BTW, is a great easy alternative to the classic "make caramel, add in cream and make a complete mess in your kitchen" butterscotch/taffy recipe) is taken from a "Twix (chocolate and salted taffy) Tart" recipe from the very same Sweet Book. 

Caramel-Apple Blondies
Yields: 16 Blondies

WHAT:
for the blondies:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 190 grams sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
• a pinch of salt
• 140 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
• 90 grams (3 ounces) white chocolate, chopped. 

for the apples layer:

• 2 granny-smith apples, peeled and chopped to small cubes
• a squeeze of lemon/lime juice
• grated peel out of 1/2 a lemon/lime. 
• 20 grams (2 tbsp) sugar
• a pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract/paste
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

for the hazelnut streusel: 

• 30 grams (1 ounce) blanched hazelnuts
• 90 grams (3 ounces) all purpose flour
• 5/8 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 50 grams sugar

for the caramel/taffy frosting:

• 100 grams (1/4 can) sweetened condensed milk
  [Keep the 3/4 leftover can in the fridge, well wrapped (it should be good for a week or two) and prepare Vanilla-Mango Tartelettes next week!]
• 20 grams sugar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 grams (1/2 tbsp) glucose or corn syrup
• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, cold
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)
• cinnamon powder for decoration

HOW:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). 
• Apples layer: Place sugar in a small/medium pot/pan; put pot/pan over a medium heat, until sugar is melted. 
• Add in the rest of the apples-layer ingredients. 
• Cook over a medium heat until apples begin to soften, stir occasionally (apples will fully soften during the final baking stage)
• Remove from heat, strain apples from excess liquids and set aside to completely cool in room temperature.
• Hazelnut streusel: Place hazelnuts and flour in food processor, and process until hazelnuts are well ground. 
• Add in butter and sugar; continue processing until crumbs are formed. 
• Wrap well and keep refrigerated until pre-bake assembly stage. 
• Blondies: In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar. 
• Add in eggs, vanilla and salt, mix together until well combined. 
• Sift in the flower, add in the chopped white chocolate, mix together until combined, not beyond. 
• Pre-bake assembly: (optional) Line an 8x8" or 9x9" square pan with parchment paper. 
• Transfer the blondies batter to the pan; evenly spread and smooth the batter in the pan using an angled spatula or a spoon. 
• Top the blondies batter with the apples (try to spread them evenly). 
• Top the apples with the streusel (try to spread it evenly) - apples should be completely covered with streusel.
• Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until streusel is lightly golden. 
• Let pan completely cool in room temperature, at least 1 hour. 
• Using a large sharp knife, carefully cut the cake to 16 2x2" (if pan is 8x8") or 2 1/4 x 2 1/4" (if pan is 9x9") squares. 
• Caramel/taffy frosting (start preparing while blondies are in the oven): Place condensed milk, sugar, butter and glucose/corn-syrup in a small pan, cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and slightly darkens. 
• Set aside to cool down in room temperature. 
• After both caramel/taffy and blondies have cooled down: In a mixer with a whipping attachment, whip together the caramel/taffy, 1/2 cup of heavy cream and the vanilla pudding mix until well combined. 
• Add in the other 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and continue whipping until well combined and firm. 
• [note: be careful not to over-whip the frosting, which may "break" the heavy cream and turn the mixture into a liquid mess; the frosting may be a bit grainy due to caramel bits that haven't fully "dissolved"; this may make the frosting look less appealing, but trust me - it will not affect the taste :) the important thing is that the frosting will be firm]
• Using a pastry bag with a star tip, top each blondie with a "star" of frosting. 
• Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on top of the blondies. 
• Enjoy!

Leftovers? Keep the blondies refrigerated in an air-tight container up to 4-5 days. The blondies are at their best when at room temperature, so leave refrigerated blondies out in room temperature for 15-30 minutes before digging into them. 

"Strawberry Banana Shake" Tartelettes

I don't want to get into too much detail about how last weekend has gone off to a bad start for me, I'll just mention that not having cable tv and internet service for 24 hours for a screen-addict like me can be a tad frustrating... Once connection was restored though - my weekend has miraculously improved! It was even further improved while (and after) making these awesome tartelettes, inspired by the loved-by-all (most?) strawberry banana shake.

I came across a recipe for a banana-cheesecake not too long ago (full reference to follow) and I really wanted to use it (as a tartelette filling, of course - what else?), but I wanted to pair it with a great frosting that will complement the banana flavor, and I thought "well, the strawberry-banana combination is already out there - it's good, it's popular, so I won't have too much explaining to do - let's tartelette-it-up with some strawberry frosting!".

The tartelettes crust in this recipe is based on a chocolate "porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo.
The banana-cheese filling is based on a banana-cheesecake-with-caramel recipe by the cookie fairy - I recommend browsing through her blog, even just for the photos - they are breathtaking!

"Strawberry-Banana-Shake" Tartelettes
Yields: 12 Tartelettes

WHAT:
for the crust: 

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

for the banana-cheese filling (all ingredients should be in room temperature): 

• 2 ripe bananas
• a squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice
• 110 grams sugar, divided to 20 grams and 90 grams
• 227 ml /  8 oz cream cheese (1 package)
• 113 ml / 4 oz sour-cream (1/2 small package)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract / paste

for the strawberry frosting (all ingredients except powdered sugar and pudding mix should be cold from the fridge):

• 8 - 10 large strawberries
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 113 ml / 4 oz sour-cream (1/2 small package)
• 3 overloaded tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 overloaded tbsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

for the white-chocolate-coated strawberry decoration [optional]

• 6 beautiful strawberries
• ~60-70 grams white chocolate

HOW:

• Crust: Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In a food processor or a mixer with a flat beater, mix together butter and sugar until well combined. 
• Add in egg and a quarter of the flour mixture. Mix for a few seconds. 
• Add in the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until a large dough-ball is formed, not beyond. 
• If mixture is too dry and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of milk, as needed. 
• If mixture is too soft/wet and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of flour, as needed. 
• Form the dough into a 1/2 inch thick disc shape. 
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). 
• Remove refrigerated dough from plastic wrap, and knead/mold a little with your hands, to warm it up a bit. 
• Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to be ~3-4 mm thick on a generously-flour-dusted surface. 
• Using a 4-inch-diameter cookie/biscuit cutter or a similar tool with which you can cut round shapes (e.g. a small bowl), cut 12 "discs" out of the flattened dough. 
• [Leftover dough? Make some jam sandwich cookies!]
• Line a regular cupcake/muffin pan with the dough "discs" (no need to oil the pan or line it with paper liners), pressing each disc to the bottom and sides of each cupcake/muffin "cavity" to form the tartelettes' crusts. 
• Using a fork, puncture the bottom of each disc a couple of times (to prevent air-pockets). 
• Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze until pre-bake assembly. 
• Filling (prepare while pan is in the freezer): Pre-heat oven to 355 degrees (F). 
• In a food processor or simply using a fork, Mash the bananas well. Put the banana puree in a small pot. 
• Add lemon/lime juice and 20 grams of sugar into the pot. Cook on low heat for a few minutes, until sugar dissolves. 
• Remove pot from heat, transfer the banana puree to a small bowl, set aside in room temperature for cooling. 
• In a mixer with a whipping balloon or a flat beater, mix together the cream-cheese and 90 grams sugar until combined. 
• Add in sour-cream, eggs (one at the time; add the second egg only after the first one was well combined into the mixture), banana puree and vanilla extract / paste, until well combined. 
• Transfer the mixture into a vessel with a pouring tip such as a large measuring glass. 
• [Optional] Decoration: Half the strawberries lengthwise.
• Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Stir until smooth. 
• Hold each strawberry-half on its wider side and dip in the melted white chocolate to coat it almost all the way up. Place the coated strawberry-halves on a surface lined with parchment paper, flat-side down. 
• Set aside either in room temperature or in the fridge (well wrapped) until after the frosting stage. 
• Pre-bake assembly: Take out the pan with the tartelette-crusts from the freezer, remove wrap.
• Fill each tartelette crust with the banana-cheese filling until completely full. 
• Carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Bake tartelettes for 25-30 minutes. 
• Remove pan from the oven, let it sit in room temperature until completely cooled down, ~1 hour. 
• At this stage, it is recommended to transfer the tartelettes to the container that will be put in the fridge for the final cooling/setting.
  You can put each tartelette in a cupcake-paper-liner at this stage, if you'd like.
  In order to take the tartelettes out of the pan, use a very thin small knife or a small offset spatula (slide knife/spatula between the crust and the pan and gently lift the tartelette on one side; take the tartelette out of the pan with your other hand). 
• Strawberry frosting: Puree the strawberries in a food processor until smooth. 
• Strain strawberry puree through a fine-mesh strainer for an extra-smooth puree. 
• Whip together the strained strawberry puree with all of the other frosting ingredients on high speed, until firm. 
• If the frosting is not firming up well and you are concerned about over-whipping which may "break" the heavy cream, simply mix as much as you can until almost completely firm, wrap the frosting and put it in the fridge for a few minutes - that should further firm up the mixture a bit. 
• Using a pastry bag with a star tip, frost each tartelette with the frosting. 
• If you have prepared the optional decoration: Top each tartelette with a chocolate-coated-strawberry-half, flat-side down. 
• Refrigerate the tartelettes in an air-tight container for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Enjoy!

Leftovers? Keep the tartelettes in an air-tight container in the fridge. 

The tartelettes are at their best on the first two days (after the overnight cooling), afterwards the crust may become softer and the strawberry may lose its freshness and become somewhat "tired". 

I recommend to consume within 4-5 days.