Tiny Shortbread Tarts with Earl Grey Cream

These tarts were created by me and my best friend while trying to rack up something for her boyfriend's birthday. His favorite tea is Earl Grey and we experimented quite a bit to actually come up with this tasty filling!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 131 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅓ cup hot water
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 Earl Grey tea bag

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 2

Steep Earl Grey tea bag in hot water for 5 minutes. Discard bag and set tea aside.

Step 3

Beat cream cheese in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add tea, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract; mix until smooth. Cover filling and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.

Step 4

Beat butter and confectioners' sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in vanilla extract. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt; mix with a wooden spoon just until incorporated.

Step 5

Lightly grease 36 mini muffin cups. Divide dough into 36 pieces and place 1 piece in the center of each muffin cup. Press the dough up the sides of the muffin cup, making room in the center for the filling. Freeze tart shells for about 10 minutes.

Step 6

Bake tart shells in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork if they puff up during baking. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 7

Remove cooled tarts from the pan and fill with the Earl Grey cream. Garnish each tart with a strawberry half.