Cranberry Mazurka Tarts

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (i used arrowroot) or 2 tablespoons arrowroot (i used arrowroot)
• 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 10 ounces fresh cranberries (or 10 oz pkg frozen cranberries)
• 1 small orange, zest of (i used part orange and part meyer lemon)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
• 1/2 cup almonds, sliced
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (for this crust i tried dark brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cold water (optional)

Recipe

• 1 cranberry filling: in a sauce pan, dissolve cornstarch into cold cranberry juice. add sugar, cranberries and orange zest, then cook on high, stirring until bubbly (approx. 6 min). reduce heat and simmer 20 min, until thickened. set aside.
• 2 nut topping: combine all ingredients and set aside.
• 3 brown sugar-shortbread crust : in a mixer, with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy (approx. 4 minutes).
• 4 turn off mixer from time to time and, using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure ingredients are well blended. incorporate dry ingredients.
• 5 add water to make dough easier to handle, if dough is dry and crumbly. do not overwork.
• 6 on a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/3” thickness. cut 12, 4” rounds with a cookie cutter or the mouth of a glass (i use my trusty tortilla press!). if needed, gather excess dough and roll again.
• 7 press rounds into a small 12-muffin tin (1/3 cup muffin size) to form the tart crusts.
• 8 fill each crust with cranberry filling and top with nut mixture.
• 9 bake at 375 degrees approximately 20 minutes.
• 10 cool completely, remove from muffin tin and garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.
• 11 note: these tarts are traditionally served with (cultured) sour cream.