These sugar cookie fruit tarts are a great sweet treat to bring to a party. Made with gluten free flour and fresh fruit that tastes as good as they look.
My daughter recently hosted a housewarming party as she and her boyfriend just moved in together. I asked her what I could bring. She suggested a dessert and I was thinking about making mini fruit tarts with a sugar cookie crust.
I also used instant vanilla pudding as the filling instead of traditional custard.
However, she has a couple of friends who cannot eat gluten so my sister gave me an extra bag of gluten free baking flour. I have never worked with it before but it was pretty similar.
It even states on the bag (shown above) to use it in a 1:1 ratio in place of regular flour. I did notice that the cookies were a little more fragile than those I've made with all-purpose flour.
What You'll Need
- butter
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- gluten free or all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- cream of tartar
- 1 egg
- salt
- instant vanilla pudding mix
- variety of fruit such as fresh berries blueberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots, pomegranate seeds, etc..
How to Make Sugar Cookie Fruit Tarts
Step 1. - Mix Dry Ingredients
Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk. (flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt)
Step 2. - Cream Butter and Sugar
With a hand or stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together. Then add an egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
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Step 3. - Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients about 1/3 at a time mixing well in between.
Step 4. - Flatten, Cover and Refrigerate Dough
Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a flat rectangular disk. Then place it into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 5. - Make the Pudding
Make the instant pudding and cut up the fruit. Refrigerate them until ready to use.
Step 6. - Roll Out and Cut Cookie Rounds
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use round cookie cutters to cut out cookies and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Note: If you are making gluten-free cookies you'll need some of the gluten-free flour for dusting the surface.
You could also use something like this Pampered Chef cut and seal tool for a fancier looking tart.
Step 7. - Press Center of Cookies Part Way Through
Bake the cut out cookie tarts for 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven and make an indentation to hold the pudding. I used a tart shaper but you could simply use a large spoon.
Step 8. - Let the Cookies Cool
When the tarts are done baking allow them to sit on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. I found that If you try to remove them too soon they tend to break up.
Step 9. - Whisk Pudding
Whisk up the pudding to make it a light and creamy filling.
Step 10. - Assemble the Cookie Tarts
Get out the fruit and start to build your tarts. Use a heaping tablespoon of the pudding topped with several pieces of fruit.
Get creative and try different combinations of fruit. Whatever looks good to you.
Fill up a tray and keep them refrigerated until ready to serve.
Overall these gluten free sugar cookies tasted great and were a big hit at the party.
Easy Mini Fruit Tarts - Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups flour gluten free or all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 box vanilla pudding mix 3.4 ounces
- 2 cups milk
- variety of cut up fruit and berries blueberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots, pomegranate seeds, etc..
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar.
- In another large bowl cream together butter and sugar with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture about 1/3 at a time mixing well between.
- Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the instant pudding and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Wash and cut up fruit into small pieces.
- Roll out the dough on some of the gluten free flour and use round cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
- Place them on a parchment-lined baking pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Then remove them from the oven and use a tart shaper or the back of a large spoon to create a spot in the middle of the cookies for the pudding.
- Return the cookies to the oven and back for an additional 5 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 15- 20 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- Decorate the cookie tarts by spooning a nice helping of pudding in the middle and top with fruit.
- Keep them in the refrigerator until read to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Paula Harris
Patti,
I this looks great and I will be trying it this week sometime. I'll bet the pudding would be good also with some cream cheese added to it. Thoughts? Thanks for posting.
Patti Estep
Paula, I was going for an easy custard idea when I chose the pudding but I do think a little cream cheese would taste great. Let me know if you try it.