Turtle Tassies Recipes

TURTLE COOKIE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place in greased mini-muffin cups. Press evenly onto bottoms and up the sides of cups. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. With the back of measuring teaspoon, make an indentation in each cup. Immediately sprinkle with 3/4 cup chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt caramel bits with cream; stir until smooth. Spoon into cups. Top each with a pecan half. In a microwave, melt remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over pecans.

TURTLE TASSIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray 48 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Make dough as directed on cookie pouch. Shape dough into 48 (1-inch) balls. Press 1 ball into bottom of each muffin cup, pressing up sides to fill cups.
• Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat caramels and cream over medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Reduce heat to low.
• Remove pans from oven; gently press end of wooden spoon into bottoms and against sides of cookie cups to flatten, being careful not to make holes in dough.
• Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately spoon 1/2 teaspoon (about 4) chocolate chips into each cookie cup.
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon caramel mixture into each cookie cup. Immediately top with chopped pecans. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans with narrow spatula.

LEMON TASSIES

Steps:

• For candied lemon zest: Remove zest from lemons with a vegetable peeler, keeping pieces long. Remove white pith using a paring knife, and finely julienne using a very sharp knife. Place julienned zest in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes; drain.
• Bring 1 cup sugar and the cool water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When sugar is completely dissolved, add julienned zest, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight. Remove zest, and drain on wire rack. Roll in sugar. Dry on wire rack. Store zest in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with rack in upper third. Lightly butter a 24-cup mini-muffin pan; set aside. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flour and butter. Pulse until mixture is the consistency of fine crumbs. Add the sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Process until evenly incorporated and smooth; do not overprocess.
• Divide the dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 6 pieces. Shape into balls. Place each ball in a muffin cup; press down in the centers so that the dough fits the cups snugly. Set muffin pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake until lightly browned all over and slightly darker at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheet with muffin pan to a wire rack to cool.
• Make the filling: In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until completely smooth. Using a 1/4-ounce ice cream scoop, fill the cooled crusts. Bake until filling is set and just beginning to color at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer muffin pan to a wire rack. Garnish with candied lemon peel. Let cool completely before serving. The tassies may be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

GRANDMA'S PECAN TASSIES

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup butter and cream cheese in a bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add flour gradually, beating at low speed. Shape mixture into 48 balls and place on a baking sheet. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease the cups of a mini-muffin pan. Press 1 chilled dough ball into each cup and shape into a tart shell.
• Whisk brown sugar, eggs, 2 tablespoons butter, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl. Stir in 1 1/4 cups pecans. Spoon mixture into tart shells. Top with the remaining pecans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges of cookie shell are delicately brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Gently remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks, about 20 minutes.

TEA TIME TASTIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Blend softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Stir in 1 cup flour and mix well.
• Shape 2 dozen-1 inch balls. Place in tiny ungreased muffin pans and press onto the bottom and sides of tins.
• To Make Filling: Beat egg, sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, salt, vanilla and nuts until smooth. Fill pastry cups and bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes.

EASY TURTLES

Steps:

• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Cool.
• Meanwhile, place nuts in mounded groupings of about 3 nuts each into 36 clusters, about 3 inches apart, on parchment-covered baking sheet.
• Spoon about 2 tsp. caramel sauce over center of each nut cluster. (Caramel sauce should "glue" the clusters together.)
• Freeze 15 min. or until caramel sauce is firm.
• Melt chocolate as directed on package. Dip nut clusters, 1 at a time, into chocolate, turning to completely coat nuts. Return to baking sheet. Refrigerate 15 min. or until chocolate is firm.