I think that pretty much everyone loves pistachios. If I open a bag, I soon find myself in nothing but a sea of shells and guilt (at least they're nuts, they can't be that unhealthy, right?). When I saw this recipe for Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tarts in Martha Stewart Magazine about a year ago, I knew I had to try it. My future sister-in-law is a huge pistachio fan so I surprised it with her one night after dinner and it was an instant hit, requested regularly since then. The original recipe is for one large tart in a 9-inch tart pan, but I find mini tarts so darn cute that I use the same recipe for four 5-inch mini tarts. I did not change any amounts, so you could go either way.

A couple of notes: Martha's recipe called for unsalted pistachios which I was surprised to find are not easy to get your hands on in normal markets. I used salted and then eliminated any additional salt from the recipe. If you use unsalted nuts, add 1/4 teaspoon in both the tart shell and the pistacho paste. Also, the recipe calls for chopped milk chocolate--I found high-quality milk chocolate chips perfectly fine. The first time I made this recipe I used regular Nestle milk chocolate and the filling ended up looking a bit speckled because the chocolate did not fully melt into the hot milk.

Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tartlets

(a Martha Stewart recipe with a few alterations)

For the tart shell:

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 of a cup shelled pistachios

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the pistachio paste:

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 sugar

1 teaspoon oil (safflower or canola)

For the chocolate filling:

5 ounces milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

Make the tart shells:

Coat your tart pans with vegetable cooking spray. Whisk together dry ingredients, including the pistachios and set aside (*add 1/4 teaspoon salt if you are using unsalted pistachios). Beat butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat until pale, about 2 more minutes. Reduce mixer speed and add vanilla, followed by the dry ingredient mixture. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Set in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Take the crust from the fridge and divide into four equal pieces (if you are making mini tarts; if not, leave the dough whole). Roll out each piece of dough to about 1/4-inch thick circles and press into tart pans, trimming the edges of excess dough.

Bake tart shells at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once they are out of the oven, they will need about 20-30 minutes to cool completely before you finish constructing the tarts.

Make the pistachio paste and chocolate filling:

In a food processor, chop pistachios and sugar until the mixture begins to clump together (*add 1/4 teaspoon salt if you are using unsalted pistachios). Add the oil and pulse the processor until the mixture become a sandy paste.

Spoon the pistachio paste equally into each mini tart and use a spoon to pat the paste firmly into the shells.

Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it is almost boiling (there will be little bubbles at the edge of the saucepan). Place the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl (make sure it's heatsafe). When the milk is heated, pour it over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Thoroughly whisk the chocolate into the milk until no speckles of chocolate remain. Let stand for an additional 10 minutes, and then whisk in the beaten egg.

At this point, remove the tart shells from their pans and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour the chocolate filling into the tart shells, over the pistachio paste. Be sure not to overfill the shells or the filling will spill all over when you put them in the oven.

Bake the tarts for 30 minutes in a 300 degree oven until the filling is set. Let the tarts cool completely before serving. Garnish with some more finely chopped pistachios for a beautiful presentation.

Enjoy! (the tarts, and the impressed looks you will get from your guests when you serve these little tarts that you "just whipped up")

Pumpkin pop tarts were a success! They took about an hour to make and our tummies were growling the whole time but it was worth it! I'm definitely going to use this recipe to create mini pumpkin turnovers for our "Friends Fauxgiving" next weekend.

Pumpkin Pop Tarts

Note: This recipe allows a lot of wiggle room. If you want your pumpkin filling really cinnamon-y, add more. If you want your dough sweeter, add more sugar. If you want to make bigger or smaller tarts, go for it.

For the tart crust:

2 cups flour

18 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk (I used whole)

For the filling:

3/4 cup pumpkin (I used canned from Trader Joe's)

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

You will also need an egg wash for constructing the tarts: Whisk one egg with a large splash of milk

Make the tart dough:

I always use a food processor for pie dough, but you can do just as well with a pastry blender, your fingers, or two kitchen knives. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in the processor a few times to blend. Cut the cold butter into chunks (about 1 tablespoon each, but don't worry about being too precise). Add the butter to the processor with the dry ingredients and pulse until you have a good crumb (butter is in small, corn-kernel size pieces and the dough can be pinched together). Whisk the egg and the milk in a separate bowl. Add the egg and milk mixture the the processor and pulse until the dough comes together. The dough will look wetter than normal pie dough, which is fine.

Divide the dough into two pieces and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze for 10-15 minutes).

Make the pumpkin filling:

Mix together the pumpkin and the spices in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk the egg in a small bowl, and then add it together with the sugar and the salt to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Put the filling in the fridge while you roll out the dough.

Construct the tarts:

Take one piece of dough out of the fridge. On a floured surface (I always use a large silicone cutting board for rolling--it adds a little traction and I don't have to worry about germs or chemicals on the countertop) roll the dough into a rectangle about 9 inches by 12 inches. The dough should not be too thin, about 1/8 inch thick. With a pizza cutter or a dough scraper, divide the rectangle into 12 equal-sized rectangles. Transfer these to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Don't worry if the squares touch in the pan, they will not expand during baking. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the second piece of dough.

Brush three of the dough rectangles in the baking sheet with the egg wash (see above). Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the dough and immediately top with one of the dough rectangles from the second batch of dough. Lightly press around the edges of each tart to seal the two pieces of dough together, and gently push around the filling so that it fills out the tart. Construct the remaining tarts in groups of three. Press the tines of a fork around the edges of each tart to completely seal the dough before baking and create that classic pop tart look.

Brush the top of each tart with the egg wash and poke a couple of vent holes in the top of each tart with the fork.

Bake in the top third of a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Mine did not get very brown like a pie crust might, but they turned a lovely golden brown and the smell in the kitchen told me they were ready.

Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days (but please eat one while they are still warm...mmmm)

Enjoy!

It's officially baking season! Today was the first cold, wet, nasty fall day in DC, and yet I practically skipped home from work with excitement. I finally have an excuse to make some warm, gooey, chocolatey, pumpkin-spicy treat that you can no longer refuse (because bathing suit season is over, break out your chunky sweaters)! The whole walk home I was giddy with the thought of what special treat to make tonight to surprise future hubby when he gets home from law school, no doubt frozen to the bone and grumpy. I finally decided on a homemade version of a childhood favorite--pumpkin pop tarts! I walked into our apartment and, in an almost comical twist of fate, no power in the kitchen! The power company had somehow tripped the electricity ONLY to my kitchen--epic fail. Alas, my plan to make pumpkin pop tarts is delayed until the morning.