Cherry Ligonberry Cookie Tart
I think it’s safe to say that we are safely in the throes of summer in my area of the world, and when that happens I get this strong urge to do all of the baking with lots of bright, sweet and tart fruit. I also don’t want to spend a lot of time in a kitchen with a hot oven because, well, it’s summer and it’s hot.
(Yes, I have A/C. But anyone who bakes on a regular basis will tell you it can still get hot in there with the A/C on.)
So what is one to do?
My suggestion, and my personal practice for summer baking, is to look for recipes that are very easy and quick-both to put together and to make from start to finish; the kinds of recipes that will get you ‘in’ and ‘out’ but can still deliver on those summer flavors that we all crave at this time of year.
Over the years I’ve made quite a few of those here on the blog:
If you’ve been following this blog for a whilr you’ll also know that another favorite of mine that also fits into this category are my fruit cookie tarts.
I think there are a few reasons that I keep coming back to cookie tarts. They’re quick, they’re easy, and they’re VERY adaptable summer dessert that can fit just about anyone’s palate. Today’s recipe is yet another verification of that.
In last week’s post I mentioned that I had gotten on a bit of a sour cherry kick. One of the things I made with a recent bunch I got was this (gluten free!) cake.
This was another.
Pretty, isn’t it?
Like sour red cherries, ligonberries are small, bright red and known for their tart flavor. I like to think of them as tasting like cranberries, without the bitterness. I had never tried them prior to my going to a certain Swedish furniture store that has a cafeteria inside of it it. They’re made in a preserve that’s served alongside meatballs in gravy. They also sell the jam in jars, which I usually get 1 or 2 of every time I go (which isn’t that often).
Seeing as I had recently gotten a jar of ligonberry preserves at around the same time that I had gotten my supply of sour cherries, I decided to see what would happen if I put them together in one of my favorite desserts. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.
The foundation of a good cookie tart recipe is, of course, the crust itself. This one is a perfect buttery cookie dough that’s flavored with vanilla and is the perfect combination of crisp and chewy. It holds up veyr well against the moisture of the cherries and ligonberry preserve filling, and it’s sweetness also balances out the tartness of the berries.
Happy Summer Baking!
Cherry Ligonberry Cookie Tart
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of ligonberry preserves
- 1 cup fresh sour cherries (you can use the ones that are canned in water as well, just make sure they’re well drained)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan* and place this on a baking tray.
Using a food processor or mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and brown sugar vigorously until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. It’s an important step to beat the butter and sugar well together when making shortbread as this ensures the shortbread is light, crisp and will hold together.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and mix until blended (forming large clumps). Turn onto a floured surface and using floured hands, press two-thirds of the mixture evenly into the prepared pan (including the sides).
Spread with the ligonberry preserves evenly over the dough, leaving a 1⁄4-inch border and then scatter with the sour cherries.
Crumble the remaining dough into large crumbs and scatter evenly over the filling, covering most of the surface.Bake the tart for 40 – 45 minutes, until lightly browned.
Leave to cool completely in the pan.
*If you do not have a tart pan, I do think that this would also work in a 9-inch roudn cake pan, you just won’t be able to lift the whole tart out of it. It’ll still taste great though.
Sharing at Fiesta Friday #593.
Love this Cherry Lingonberry Cookie Tart recipe! Thanks for the quick, flavorful summer dessert idea!
Thank you–glad you enjoyed it 🙂