If your children or grandchildren are looking for a perfect gift to give their teachers, these may be the answer. Dress up each tart with a paper doily, place on a colorful plastic or paper plate and cover with clear wrap. Secure with a festive bow or a gift card and tag. And don't forget to include the recipe for the tart. When I gave this as a gift to each of the secretaries at the high school where I work, it soon became a hit with their families, too!
Ingredients
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen puff pastry shells
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
- Additional confectioners' sugar
Directions
- Bake pastry shells according to package directions.
- In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and extract. With a fork, carefully remove the circular top of each baked shell and set aside. Remove any soft layers of pastry inside shells and discard.
- Spoon the cream cheese filling into shells; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until serving.
- Just before serving, spoon pie filling into shells. Top with reserved pastry circles. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.
