Chocolate Pecan Tartelettes

This recipe has a couple of things that kids love; mini marshmallows  and mini chocolate chips. It is also my go-to recipe for tart shells, so fast and so easy to work with.

You will need:

1/2 c butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, *softened - weigh it, not the full standard size one!
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c pecans, toasted and chopped
2 Tbsp mini semisweet chocolate pieces
24 mini marshmallows

Equipment corner: What I used: a stand mixer, oil spray, a mini-muffin tin, a dough cutter, mini-spatula

Mix the 1/2 butter and cream cheese (*you can soften the cream cheese in the microwave, 7 or so seconds a shot. I hear) in a stand mixer until it is well combined. Add the flour at low speed just until fully incorporated.

White and yellow

With flour

Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.

Wrapping it in saran wrap

Preheat the oven to 325 and spray a mini-muffin tin with oil. Separate the dough into 24 equal balls. They will be about an inch or so:

Using the dough cutter

Press them into the mini-muffin tin, using your fingers to push up the sides. I have not found that a tart shaper helps at all, but if you have one, go ahead and try that puppy out. That's what you got it for, right? I just find fingers faster and more flexible.

Melt the 1/2 c mini chocolate chips and the 2 Tbsp butter in a small non-stick saucepan; remove from heat and stir in the sugar, egg and vanilla.

Spoon the chocolate mixture into the tart shells, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is puffed up and the pastry is golden brown.

Quickly top the tarts with the 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips, the pecans and the marshmallows. I have found that pressing on the puffed filling can give you a bit of a well to put things in, otherwise you will end up chasing melting tiny chocolate chips and bits of pecans everywhere.

Bake for 1-2 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and let sit on a rack in the pan for 5 minutes. A small offset spatula or thin knife can help to remove them from the pan, but hopefully the oil will prevent too much sticking.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

These are so simple to make (4 ingredients!) yet so yummy and freeze really well that I always make them for Christmas baking. I almost killed someone with them once - back when I was making desserts in a commercial kitchen. I called the squares "Chocolate Surprises", with the surprise being the peanut butter. Back then, we didn't know very much about the whole "deathly allergic to peanuts" business. I still say that there is no way he couldn't have smelled the peanut butter; he must have been making at attempt at his own life. And that is MY story.

Anyway! You will need:

1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c butter
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8 oz pkg miniature marshmallows, lots of colours

Just four!

Line a square pan with wax paper and rub down with butter. I like to keep butter wrappers for that. Melt the butter and peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until smooth. Cool until you can put your hand on the bottom of the pan.

Putting it on a rack speeds it up by getting the airflow under too!

Um, hand under pan

Stir in the marshmallows, then press mixture into the prepared pan.

This is where you find out if you cooled it enough

Get the kids to help!

Refrigerate until solid, cut up and enjoy! As mentioned, they freeze well. Check for allergies before making.