This delicious little tart takes only minutes to make, and is a beautiful and delicious compliment to a cup of coffee or a Christmas brunch.  You could even whip some up and put them in with your holiday cookies for neighbors.

Crisp, flaky pastries filled with cream cheese and cherries? What’s not to like?

These would be fantastic for a tea party too.  These are beautiful, and would be a great dessert for a bridal shower, baby shower, or party.  If you’re feeling Sandra Lee-ish, you could buy store bought refrigerated pie crust.

Ingredients:

Pie crust for one double crust 9 inch pie
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup of  sugar
1egg
1/2 tsp lemon extract
cherry pie filling
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut pie crust into 12 circles with a cookie cutter. Butter 24 mini tart pans (39 cents a piece at Bed, Bath and Beyond) and place each dough circle inside the tart pan. Alternatively, you could use a mini muffin tin, if you don’t have tart pans.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Cream until there are no lumps.

Fill each tart with a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture. Do not overfill. You want your tart filled less than halfway TOTAL with cream cheese and cherries. Top with one cherry and a little of the filling. If you overfill, the mixture will bubble over and you will have a real mess on your hands.

Bake each tart for about 10 minutes, until pie crust edges are lightly browned. Enjoy!