November 7, 2011

Petite Cinnamon and Berry Tartelettes


I had planned to bake something with blueberries since it's a favourite, and it goes very well with basically everything sweet you'd like to bake... at least in my opinion. But then I remembered this little recipe. I baked these tartelettes earlier this fall when I was in northern Sweden on a holiday for a couple of days and I had lots of freshly picked lingonberries. Cinnamon and lingonberries goes very well together and feels a bit autumn like….so blueberries have to wait until another day...

But of course you can bake these tartelettes and fill them with whatever you prefer; berries, apples, pears or your favourite jam. These tartelettes are really easy to bake and it's also easy to change the recipe to suit your own tastebuds. Like switch from cinnamon to cardamom or vanilla and use the topping of your preference. I filled my tartelettes with both lingonberries and raspberries this time.


 

 
I must say, all berries, like strawberries and blueberries for example tend to taste both more and sweeter in northern Sweden, due to the midnight sun. So if you have the chance to try berries from this part, do so, and I promise, you'll love them as much as I do! I have my freezer filled with handpicked berries from northern Sweden and it feels nice to be able to bake your own cakes with truly organic berries. It takes a while to pick those little things but also, to be in the forest for a couple of hours is the best relaxation I know. I never take naps during the day, but when I’m up north, my days are jammed with outdoor activities like fishing, picking berries or just walking in the forests, if I lay down, it doesn’t take long until I’m all asleep. I blame it all on the fresh air:-)


As you might know Cinnamon, besides beeing a great tasting spice, has several health benefits and can even aid weight loss, by keeping your blood sugar levels and insulin levels in check. There are several ways to increas your daily intake of cinnamon; you can make your own Cinnamon-tea, sprinkle cinnamon powder in your müsli, porridge, fruit sallad, or in different kind of foods. It doesn't matter how you consume the cinnamon, as long as you do it on a regular basis. However, make sure that you are using true cinnamon, the Ceylon cinnamon and not Cassia, also known as Chinese cinnamon, wich has similar flavour but not the same health benefits. Cassia also contains coumarin and can cause liver and kidney damages in large quantities.

Of course, you'll not loose weight by by eating these tartelettes, even if they contain cinnamon, but they will taste amazing and the other health benefits still remain.  


Petite Cinnamon and Berry Tartelettes, 16 small pcs
100 g butter – room temperature
½ dl sugar
1 tsp
1 egg
3 dl wheat flour


Topping
3 dl Whipped Cream
2 dl Lingonberries or other berries according to taste
Sugar, amount depending on your berries

Mix soft butter, sugar and cinnamon in a baking bowl with a hand mixer or by hand. Add the egg and flour and mix into dough with a spatula or by hand. Let the dough chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Divide dough into 16 pieces (or less if you have larger tart pans). Press each pieces of dough into the individual tart shells, fitting the dough to the bottom and the sides. Don’t press the dough to thin.

Line each tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place shells on a baking plate and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. If you don't the tartelettes will rise a little, but if you don't mind it's not necessary to use weights. You can also prick holes in the tartelettes with a fork.



Let the tartelettes cool some, before removing the shells.

Mix whipped cream with berries of your choice (save some for decoration) add sugar if you’re using sour berries.  Garnish each cinnamon tartelettes with a dollop of whipped cream and berries.

Enjoy your freshly baked Petite Cinnamon Berry Tartelettes!



   Johanna





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XOXO Johanna