Featured in our Spring 2022 Food + Entertaining article, It’s Spring, these mini blackberry cheesecake tarts with walnut crust are a good make ahead spring dessert your guests will love.
Mini Blackberry Cheesecake Tarts with Walnut Crust
Course: Dessert6
servingsIngredients
2 (5.3 ounce) containers of Siggi’s 2% Blackberry Yogurt
Walnut Oat Crust
For garnish: 6 fresh blackberries, small fresh basil leaves, edible flowers, Ginger Peanut Brittle (see recipe below), and Rosemary Salt (see recipe below)
- For the oat crust:
½ cup walnut pieces
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
½ tablespoon brown sugar
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup egg whites
- For the Ginger Peanut Brittle:
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
½ cup light corn syrup
1½ tablespoon butter
½ pound lightly salted peanuts (about 2 cups)
½-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
- For the Rosemary Salt:
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon kosher salt
A few black peppercorns, cracked
Directions
- To make oat crust:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
- Pulse toasted walnuts in a food processor with oats, flour, and sugar until crumbly and in small pieces. Add egg whites and butter and pulse until dough comes together. It should feel moist and stick together when pinched.
- Spray 6 cups of a regular sized muffin tin with baking spray, and line each sprayed cup with a thin strip of parchment for easy removal after baking.
- Add 2½ tablespoons of crust dough to each cup, pressing into base and sides to form shells.
- Bake for about 12 minutes. Cool before filling.
- To assemble tarts:
- Fill a piping bag or use a spoon to add blackberry yogurt to each tart shell. Refrigerate for several hours or serve immediately.
- Before serving, top each tart with a shard of peanut brittle and a blackberry rolled in herb salt. Alternatively, rosemary salt can be lightly sprinkled over the top of the yogurt. Garnish with basil or edible flowers.
- To make the Ginger Peanut Brittle:
- In a small dish, mix ½ teaspoon water, baking soda, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, mix 1 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir with a spoon and heat over medium. Bring to 240 degrees on a thermometer.
- Add butter and peanuts to saucepan, stir constantly, and bring to 300 degrees. Do not burn or you will need to start over.
- Once mixture reaches 300 degrees, stir in baking soda mix which will make peanut brittle foamy and light.
- Pour immediately onto parchment paper on baking sheet and spread into a thin layer. Grate ginger on top and distribute evenly.
- Cool for at least an hour or freeze to expedite the process. When cooled, break into shards.
- To make the Rosemary Salt:
- Add ingredients to a mortar and pestle. Grind to a fine powder.
Notes
- Recipe from Carlene Thomas, Oh Carlene