Blueberry Buckle Tassies (Mini Tarts)

T is for tassie, such a versatile little tart.  Tassies can be many flavors, most often pecan but really just about any pie filling can also be a tassie: chocolate, fruit, custard, cheese, etc.  The standard tassie dough is pretty universal, a cream cheese and butter based short crust.  Super easy to work with.  I noticed a couple years ago that it was the same as rugelach dough too!

The short crust is quite easy to just throw together, although it is much harder to get the 3 oz packages of cream cheese nowadays.  Supposedly they are still manufactured, but I haven't seen them in many years.  (They were widely available in my childhood.)  Try to stick to the brick style cream cheese, it really is better for baking purposes.  I give the leftover cheese from an 8oz brick to my kiddo for bagels and English muffins if I don't have another purpose for it.  It will mix in with the tub cream cheese.  Or make a double batch of dough, it freezes well, then you only have 2oz left over.  That way you can try other flavors of tassie tarts!

 

Make ahead friendly: I made all the parts for these one day, then assembled and baked the next day! 

 

Blueberry Buckle Tassies
makes 24 mini tarts

Basic tassie dough: 
½ cup butter
3oz cream cheese
1 cup flour

Cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Mix in the flour.  (Dough should not be sticky, add another tbsp flour if it is.)  Chill for at least an hour.  

Blueberry Filling:
2½ cups blueberries (or berries/fruit of choice)
⅓ cup sugar (you could use an extra tbsp if using a lime but we like them sweet tart)
1½ tbsp flour
juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime (a lime will be a little bit more tart)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low-medium heat until thickened.  Set aside to cool.

Streusel topping:
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp quick oats (or chopped nuts if desired)
1½ tbsp butter

Combine all ingredients until crumbly.  Set aside. 

To Assemble:

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350ºF.  Divide tassie dough into 24 equal balls and press up the bottom and sides of two mini muffin tins.  Add a heaping tsp of filling in each shell, enough to mostly fill the shells, then top with the streusel.

Fingers or a tart tamper will work 
to press the dough.

 

Try not to overfill like that one 
in the middle row.

These will boil over like any good pie.  Bake 
on a baking sheet to catch any drips!

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the streusel is golden and the crust is nicely browned all around. Cool for 5-7 minutes and carefully spin and pop out with a pairing knife. (Don't wait too long or the bubble-over will glue them into the tins if it cools too much). 

Finish cooling on a wire rack.  These are lovely just slightly warm, they reheat in a toaster oven very well.  Enjoy plain or with a mini scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Store loosely covered, reheat in the oven or air fryer to restore any lost crispness.  (I did 325ºF in the air fryer for 5 minutes.  Oven or toaster oven could be 350º for 5-10 minutes, or just keep it on warm until heated through.)

Try them with your favorite fruit pie filling! 

Here are some more T recipes: 

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Tomato Tortellini Soup 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Tangerine Ricotta Cookies 
• Food Lust People Love: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing 
• A Messy Kitchen: Blueberry Buckle Tassies 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Thakkali Chammanthi /Tomato Chutney
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Michigan End of Summer Harvest Salad
• Palatable Pastime: Pass Around Macaroni and Tomatoes
• Blogghetti: Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Platter 
• Culinary Cam: Bitter Orange and Blackberry Thumbprint Cookies
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Budget-Friendly Chunky Potato Soup with Thyme 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mini Taco Salad Cups