Lemon Poppy Seed Tartlets with Strawberry Roses

Indulge in these charming lemon poppy seed tartlets with a zesty cream cheese filling, elegantly adorned with intricate strawberry roses and garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Ingredients

Ingredients
1	cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4	cup white sugar
1	egg
2	tablespoons lemon juice
2	teaspoons lemon zest
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2	cups all-purpose flour
2	tablespoons poppy seeds
1	teaspoon sea salt
1	package (8 ounce) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4	cup sour cream
2 1/2	tablespoons white sugar
24	strawberries
1	small bunch fresh mint

Instructions

• Baking Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together room temperature unsalted butter and 3/4 cup of white sugar using an electric mixer. Add in the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Stir in the all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, and sea salt until the dough comes together smoothly.
  3. Pinch off 1 1/2 teaspoon-sized pieces of dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets and press down on each with your thumb to create a small indent.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until firm, approximately 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and reinforce each indent using the back of a spoon. Continue baking until the cookies are barely golden around the edges, around 5 more minutes.
  5. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Combine room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of white sugar in a bowl until well blended. Fill each cooled cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture.
  7. Using a sharp paring knife, make 4 deep cuts along the bottom third of each strawberry. Carefully fan out the cuts to open them up. Repeat the process, cutting in between the rows, until reaching the top.
  8. Garnish each cookie with a strawberry rose and tuck 1 or 2 fresh mint leaves around the strawberry.

Jul 29, 2024