My husband Ryan is a fruit dessert lover through and through. Some of his favorite desserts to date are my grandma’s apple pie and last year’s birthday dessert: the lemon tart. I didn’t know if I could beat the lemon tart, it’s the kind of dessert that stands in a class of its own. Instead, I asked him if I could make a fruit tart for his birthday. I was confident he’d like it and it wasn’t so difficult that I’d spent our fun weekend in Chicago stressing over it.
The dessert ended up being easier than I imagined and everyone, Ryan included, seemed to like it more than I had anticipated…I’d call that a win win! Southern Living’s original recipe made 6 four-inch tarts, but I doubled the recipe (and made a little extra filling) to make 12 tarts since Ryan forewarned me he was going to want at least three for himself!
Any fruit would be good on these—berries, bananas, pineapple, whatever floats your boat! My friend Maggie and I used kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, and peaches, which ended up being aesthetically pleasing and gave us the chance to enjoy summer produce while we still could!
The original recipe also called for a shortbread cookie crust but after tasting how good the crust on the No Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake was, I opted for a vanilla sandwich cookie crust, a decision I don’t regret!
Make these when you need an easy dessert that looks impressive, or if you too have a fruit dessert-loving spouse/friend/neighbor that needs a birthday treat!
Cookie crusted tarts topped with a cream cheese filling and fresh fruit
Adapted from Southern Living June 2010
they look really cute