It’s Summer! It’s time for picnics & pies!

These fun and easy tartlets are the perfect dessert to pack in your basket. And if you don’t want them to be mini, you can multiply the recipe to make one large pie. They have a salty sweet crushed cookie crust, a creamy cream cheese filling, and glistening strawberries on top surrounded by a halo of coconut and walnuts. They’re not only refreshing, but beautiful too.

You certainly don’t have to go through all that trouble though. If you don’t feel like toasting your own coconut, melting down strawberry jam to make a glaze, and arranging your strawberry slices into a flower shape, that is A-OK. It won’t change the fact that these are mouthwateringly good.

Happy Baking,

Lake’s Bakes

For this recipe you will need a food processor (or a mallet), 2 miniature pie/tart pans, a cookie sheet, and 1 medium bowl. This recipe yields 2 tartlets. Multiple the recipe by 4 to make one standard sized pie.

Ingredients for the crust:

• 12 hard cookies (such as Nilla wafers, ginger snaps, lemon snaps)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 block cream cheese (8 oz.)
• Scant 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 small egg
• 3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Ingredients for the topping:

• 2 1/2 tbsp. jam (strawberry, cherry, any berry really)
• 2 tsp. water
• 2-3 tbsp. shredded coconut
• 2-3 tbsp. chopped nuts (walnuts, for example)
• 5-10 strawberries, sliced (amount dependent on size)

Directions:

For the crust: preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease your mini pie pans with butter. Using a food processor, pulse the cookies and the sugar until roughly chopped. Add the baking powder and salt. Slowly add the melted butter until you reach the right crumb. Divide the crust mix in half and press into each pie pan, using your fingers to press it down evenly.

Freeze crusts for 15 minutes. Then bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the filling: Cream the sugar, cream cheese, and cornstarch together. Add the vanilla and egg, being careful not to overmix. Stop once the filling ingredients have all been incorporated. Gently add in the whipping cream. (The filling will be smooth and creamy).

Pour the filling equally into your cooled crusts. Bake for 20-30 minutes. If the top cracks, don’t be disheartened, because you’ll cover it in strawberries anyway.

For the topping: With your oven still at 350, put your shredded coconut and chopped nuts onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, tossing them occasionally. The result will be lightly browned.

Melt the jam in a saucepan over low-medium heat with some water. Once melted, sift out any clumps or seeds and let cool.

Wash and slice your strawberries, cutting off the wide ends.

To assemble, place your strawberries on the cooled tartlets in any pattern that you like. Make a halo of toasted coconut and walnut around the edge. Finally, spoon the jam glaze over the entire tartlet. Cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours and serve!

You’ll love these, I just know you will.