Black Cherry Mini Chocolate Tarts

I made Mini Fruit Tarts last winter and we couldn’t get enough of their bite sized goodness! I really wanted to try a chocolate version of them, so the second I saw that cherries were in season I couldn’t resist putting this recipe together! The mini tart shells still had the same buttery flaky texture as the originals and mixed with the rich cream cheese filling and juicy black cherries, it made for a delectable dessert combination! And as if you needed any more incentive to baking these.. your entire house will smell like fresh baked brownies!

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(makes 12 mini tarts)

Ingredients:

For crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ sticks or ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces

For filling:

1 eight oz package cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar (granulated)

1 tsp vanilla extract

12-24 black cherries (just depends if you want one or two per each tart)

And don’t forget that cherries have pits in them! I don’t want any emails saying someone chipped a tooth because of this recipe! ; )

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a muffin tin with some butter. A paper towel usually works best at applying the butter!

 (1.) Combine flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and butter in a large bowl. (2.) Using your hands, mix until dough forms a ball. (3.) Place a heaping tablespoon of dough in each muffin cup and press down with your thumbs to form a mini pie shell. (4.) Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to squish down the center. Place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until edges just start to harden and set up.

Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove mini crusts from muffin tin and place on cooling rack for an additional 5 minutes.

In a medium sized bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Spoon into a zip-lock bag (cut the tip of one of the corners off) or pastry bag and fill pie crusts. Add cherries on top and you’re done! You can serve right away or place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving. These can also be stored overnight!

Enjoy!