This month's What's Baking is hosted by Yudith at Blissfully Delicious. Yudith choose the theme "Bake something for St. Patrick's Day." I wasn't so ambitious for our annual St. Patrick's day celebration this year, the only baking I did was Irish Soda Bread (which I should have used for this entry) and break and bake cookies.

Since I was having a bunch of ladies over for a purse party this weekend I thought it was a good opportunity to make up for my lack of St. Patrick's Day baking. But, I needed something easy. I haven't been into stretching myself in the kitchen lately, so these Pistachio Pudding Tarts worked at great in terms of being easy and something green, which is really their only connection to St. Patrick's Day. They also went over well with the ladies, and I could see making these time and time again with different pudding fillings. I froze half the tarts for use another time, so I will report back how they do post freezer.

Be sure to come back this week for more finger foods from the party, and be sure to visit Blissfully Delicious to check out this month's round-up. Thanks for hosting Yudith!
 
Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups cold 2% milk
• 1 package (3.4 oz) instant pistachio pudding mix

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Beat butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce to low and slowly add flour, and mix for 20-30 seconds. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl. Continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.

Split the dough in 2 balls, and set one aside. Working with 1 of the balls, make 24 1-inch size balls. Place one ball in each cup of a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Using the index and middle fingers of each hand, press each dough ball to spread it across the bottom and up the sides of each mini muffin cup.

Repeat above steps with second large dough ball. Place pans in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until browned.

Remove pans from oven and allow tarts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Place a cooling rack over the top of the pan. Grabbing both the pan and cooling rack together, turn them over so the tarts are now on the cooling rack. Allow to finish cooling completely.


In a mixing bowl, whisk milk and pudding together until pudding is completely dissolved. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until pudding sets (it will still jiggle, but will be firmer than when you finished whisking).

Assemble up to 1-2 hours before serving by placing a teaspoon of pudding on top of each tart. Makes 48 mini tarts.

Source: Taste of Home