• Andy Brumbaugh
• Frangipane Berry Tartlets

Every year for my sister's birthday on July 1, I try to make a fun dessert that incorporates summer berries, especially blueberries and strawberries. She isn't a cake fan, so it's a creative challenge.

Last year, I made a tart with berries and frangipane (a delightful almond cream). When I was looking for inspiration for this recipe, my family suggested revisiting those flavors.

Because I delight in all things mini, I decided to make tartlets with a vanilla wafer cookie crust. I used simple muffin pans to make them — using cupcake liners makes them easier to remove from the pans because the crust is a bit fragile.

You could make these tartlets ahead of time and put them in the fridge to pull out later for a summer dessert — or even as part of a delightful afternoon tea!

Ingredients

Yields 12 tartlets

Cookie crust:

• 3 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 10 tablespoons room-temperature butter
• Cooking spray

Frangipane filling:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons room-temperature butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

• Sliced strawberries
• Blueberries
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix cookie crumbs, sugar and butter until well combined. (I used a food processor.) Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. Press crust mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Press down with fingers or a small glass, making sure that the sides and bottoms are of even thickness.
3. Bake the shells for 5 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool on a rack while preparing the filling.
4. Mix together all frangipane filling ingredients until smooth. I used a food processor, but you could use an electric mixer or a wooden spoon.
5. Divide the frangipane evenly between the tartlet shells, then press down lightly with plastic wrap on top to even out the filling.
6. Bake the tartlets for 14 minutes, until slightly puffed up and light golden brown.
7. Cool for about 5 minutes before topping with berries.
8. Carefully remove cooled tartlets from muffin tin.
9. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.