Cherry Apple Tart Recipe

Cherry Apple Tart Recipe

Cook Time:  30 minutes  

Difficulty:  Easy

We have updated this post from a few years ago with fresh pictures and content.

We all need to unplug now and then and spend quality family time. Aside from game night, movie night, and puzzle night, cooking and baking together is another perfect family-enriching activity for all ages. Cooking and baking are easy, as it allows kids and parents to unplug and connect and it is a fantastic learning tool (it builds math and reading skills, it teaches scientific concepts, enriches oral vocabulary, and so much more). We used these cooking moments to keep our children away from videos and television when they were younger.  

These rustic, tasty mini apple tarts are a fun way to get kids cooking in the kitchen and a great way to spend quality family time together. This recipe is forgiving and lends itself to any fruit on hand, including frozen fruit. (We have not tried this recipe with frozen fruit, but by all means, go for it and let us know how it worked out). We had apples that we needed to use, which was the fruit of choice, but instead of one pie, we made several mini tarts so everyone could be proud of their creations. 

I usually make this apple pie recipe with our Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread instead of sugar. Considering we had half-full jars of our butter spreads (Apple, Cherry, and Strawberry), we decided to use the ones we had on hand, and we created several different tarts with the chopped apples. The icing and the lemon zest at the end finished off this dessert nicely.  

So, if you are looking for a creative family activity, unplug the electronics, and consider making these delectable Cherry Apple Pie Tarts with your loved ones and create some beautiful memories together. They are perfect as a tasty dessert, a delicious breakfast treat, or an after-school snack. 

Comment below on your creations. We'd love to hear your ideas:). As always, thank you for visiting. Come back again for more yummy recipes and cooking tips.

  * Note- I forgot to add the lemon zest when photographing these little tarts.  

Ingredients

• 2 packages refrigerated pie crust

• 6 medium Granny smith apples (or your favorite apples), peeled and chopped into small chunks

• Zest of one lemon (optional)

• Juice of 1 lemon, divided

• 1/2 jar Cherchies® Cherry Butter Spread (could substitute Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread or Cherchies® Strawberry Butter Spread

• 6 Tablespoons Apricot Preserves

• Cinnamon

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon water

• Parchment paper

Preparation

Chop apples into small chunks.  Place chopped apples into a large bowl and add half of the lemon juice. Mix apples to coat with lemon juice.  Add Cherchies® Cherry Butter Spread (I divided the chopped apples into three bowls and added a different butter spread to each bowl) and mix together.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove pie dough from package and "smoosh" (ha!) the dough together until you have one ball of dough.  Separate dough into 6 equal portions (I was going to trace dough with a small bowl and cut out circles, but figured I'd have to reroll the scraps anyway).

Roll out individual dough balls into circles approximately 6 inch circles (it does not have to be perfect...this adds to the rustic factor).  Place rolled dough onto baking sheet.

Leaving about 1 inch around the edge of the dough, spoon apple mixture into center of dough.  Crimp edges around tart. Sprinkle tarts with cinnamon.  Bake tarts in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden and apples are soft.

As tarts are cooking, prepare the glaze and the icing.   In one bowl, combine the Apricot Preserves and the remaining lemon juice.  In another bowl, combine the powdered sugar and water.  

Remove the cooked tarts from the oven and while the tarts are warm, brush them with the Apricot Preserves and the lemon juice mixture.  The final step is the icing and completely optional, as the tarts are delicious on their own, but I wanted to make them extras pretty for their "glamour shots".  Drizzle the icing when tarts are mostly cooled.

For other uses for apple butter, check out our blog, blog.cherchies.com.  Enjoy!

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Lemon Dill Freezer Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

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Lemon Dill Freezer Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

You might not think of lemon, dill, and eggs for breakfast.  What?  Yep, I know, but stay with me.  I shared the same concern when my hubby introduced me to the combination 27 years ago, and as he made breakfast, he said, "Trust me".  It turns out he was right; the duo of eggs and Lem'n dill were delicious. (Don't tell him he was right).  Fast forward 27 years and three children later, Lemon Dill and eggs have become a family favorite, so it seemed almost a no-brainer to combine the two into breakfast sandwiches, with sausage or ham and cheese.  Would that push our children beyond their culinary comfort level?

Nope!  They were a hit.  Our children loved the homemade version better than the grocery store's freezer version, and that thrilled me because they were eating ingredients we could control, and we saved money by making them in mass.  

So, expand your family's palate, try this winning combination of Lem'n Dill and eggs, and make these delicious breakfast freezer sandwiches today.  You will be pleasantly surprised!  And, with a little planning, you can have these delicious breakfast sandwiches ready for those busy mornings.

Comment below if you have made this delicious breakfast sandwich. Thank you for stopping by. Please return for more tasty recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• English muffins

• Eggs (1 dozen)

• Pork Sausage, sliced into patties

• Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill Seasoning

• Cheese (we used sharp cheddar for this recipe)

• Cooking Spray

Preparation

Separate the English muffins in half and place English muffins on a baking sheet.  Broil (could use a toaster if making a few) for a couple of minutes, until lightly browned.  After muffins are toasted add a tiny bit of butter to each muffin half.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray.  Crack an egg into each muffin tin and sprinkle eggs with Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill Seasoning (you could mix eggs and Lem 'n Dill with a fork to scramble if you'd like).  Bake eggs in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until eggs are cooked (If you're going to eat immediately, rather than freeze, cook eggs according to your preference.  In other words, if you like your eggs a little runny, then cook less).

While eggs are cooking, slice up sausage into patties.  In a large skillet, cook sausage patties until cooked through.  Drain on paper towels.  

Remove the eggs from the oven, and using a spatula, gently remove eggs from muffin tins and place on parchment paper.  If planning to eat immediately, keep the oven on to warm sandwiches at the end.

To assemble the sandwiches, begin with the muffins, then to one half, add the egg and the sausage patty, and to the other half, add the cheese (we used cheddar for these sandwiches). Oh my goodness, my mouth is already salivating! 

Combine the two halves to make a sandwich.  At this point, you could wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for later.  Or...

You could heat it up in the oven for a couple of minutes, or the microwave for 30 seconds (until the cheese is melty), and devour it!  Trust me, you'll be hooked on Lem 'n Dill and eggs too.  Enjoy!

Apple Butter Oatmeal Recipe

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Apple Butter Oatmeal Recipe

Cook Time: 5 minutes (approx. 2 minutes in microwave)

Difficulty:  Easy

Sometimes the simplest ideas are right under your nose. Take for example oatmeal. Yes, a somewhat simplistic topic, but there's so much you can do with oatmeal (breakfast, healthy snacks, bread crumbs (yep), crisps, cookies...oh my, and it's so good for you!).

I'm always looking for fresh and easy recipes to share with you but had writer's block this morning...as I was eating my oatmeal. Duh! 

I love to add new flavors to my morning oatmeal, and as I looked into my kitchen pantry, it dawned on me...of course...apple butter, a specialty gourmet condiment I had all along!

Why hadn't I thought of this before?  I added about 1-2 Tablespoons of our Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread (I'm very picky about my apple butter), plus cinnamon, as well as a surprise at the end.  The end result, delicious and satisfying!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1-2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread (or could use Cherchies® Cherry  or Strawberry Butter Spreads)
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• A handful of chocolate chips

Preparation 

Combine the oats, water, apple butter spread, and the cinnamon.  Add water.  Stir together.

Heat oatmeal in the microwave for 1- 1 /2 min, or until desired consistency.  Now for the surprise...add a handful of dark chocolate chips, just because...Stir and enjoy!

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Lemon Dill Lox Recipe

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Lemon Dill Lox Recipe

About ten years ago, my hubby and I were visiting New York City, and the thought of eating raw fish (sushi, tartar, and lox) repulsed me. I kept wondering how people ate raw fish and didn't throw up. I had heard of bagels and lox, but it wasn't on my food radar or even my bucket list, for that matter.

I was introduced to this fabulous concoction by a chef at the hotel where we were staying. He said, "Miss, (I love it when I'm called Miss rather than ma'am...makes me feel younger) you've never tried bagels and lox?" I politely said, "no." (I tried not to, but I may have wrinkled my nose just like my kiddos do when introducing something new). 

Perhaps the chef noticed my boring bagel and cream cheese in the buffet line and needed to convince me that I would love the freshly smoked salmon he had prepared. I allowed him to put a small sample on my plate away from harming my bagel.

Guess what? I LOVED IT!! (and the chef was pleased). What was once taboo had become one of my rare morning treats, bagels and lox!

Recently it dawned on me I could "amp" up the flavor even more. I've seen this culinary delight often garnished with dill, so I tried our Lemon Dill Seasoning, sprinkled on the cream cheese. Oh my goodness, folks, if you are a bagels and lox fan, you've got to try this seasoning blend for a different approach to bagels and lox! The lemon and dill will elevate this dish to the next level and tantalize your tastebuds. So what are you waiting for? Adding Cherchies® Lem’n Dill Seasoning on your favorite bagels and lox may be your next favorite thing.

Comment below and let us know if you have tried this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 bagel, sliced in half (increase for more people)

• Cream Cheese (could substitute Neufchatel cheese)

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) (or more to taste) Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill No-Salt Seasoning (could substitute Cherchies® Lem 'n Dill Seasoning if you'd like more salt)

• Chopped red onion (optional)

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) capers (optional)

Preparation

Slice bagel in half and toast lightly in a toaster (this step is optional).  Next, spread a generous amount of cream cheese onto each half.  Sprinkle with Cherchies® No-Salt Lem 'n Dill Seasoning.

Generously add the smoked salmon lox to the bagel halves and top with your favorite toppings (diced red onion, capers, tomatoes...It' up to you).  Enjoy my new version of Bagels and Lox!