Homemade Apricot Tarts
These homemade apricot tarts are a soft and buttery tart cookie filled with apricot filling and dusted with powdered sugar. This flavorful heirloom holiday cookie recipe has been a Christmas tradition in our family passed down from my Nana.
My mom’s original apricot tart recipe used canned apricot filling. I decided to create a homemade filling from dried apricots and it exceeded my expectations. This tart filling is also delicious on English muffins or toast for breakfast. I’ve also included a short-cut filling version, but I promise that the homemade filling is worth the extra step. This holiday cookie recipe has been a staple in our family for several generations. I hope you’ll love it, too. If I could pick only one holiday cookie to make, this would be the one. They are my absolute favorite!
Apricot Filling Ingredients
- Fresh plump dried apricots
- Sugar
- Salted Butter
- Freshly squeezed orange juice
- Ground cinnamon
- Fresh nutmeg
Tart Dough Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- Cream cheese- regular recommended (not low-fat)
- Unbleached all-purpose flour (you can also use unbleached white whole wheat flour-white wheat doesn’t comprise the flaky tart texture like regular whole wheat flour)
- Good quality vanilla extract
How To Make Apricot Tarts From Scratch
Step 1. Make the filling. To make the apricot filling for cream cheese tarts, mix 1 cup finely chopped dried apricots and enough water to come 1 inch above the apricots in a saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp butter, 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (optional), 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Add 2 tbsps orange juice. Cook a bit longer until the texture is like jam. You can add up to 1/2 cup sugar if you like it sweeter. Stir, cool, and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use.
Step 2. Make the dough and chill. Soften the butter and cream cheese at room temperature. Add them to mixing bowl and blend well. Add vanilla and blend until incorporated. Then add the flour and mixed until a ball of dough has formed. The dough should be thick. Shape the dough and chill. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Step 3. Bake. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Form the dough into walnut-sized balls (I cut the dough ball into slices, and then into walnut-size pieces before shaping) and place into a mini muffin/tart pan. Using a tart tamper dusted with flour, press down on each ball forming the tart shape.
Fill tarts with a heaping teaspoon of apricot filling. Bake filled tarts at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until very lightly golden. Be careful not to overbake!
Cool and dust generously with powdered sugar before serving. These babies are soft, buttery, and melt in your mouth. So good!
Short-cut tip: If you are short on time or want a quick and easy version, you can use a store-bought apricot fruit spread for the filling. You want to make sure that it’s a fruit spread (not preserves or jam) since it’s usually chunkier and not overly sweet. Bonnie Maman and Trader Joe’s make good options. My mom always liked to use Solo canned apricot cake and pastry filling. That’s another quick and easy option.
These cookies make a great recipe for a holiday cookie exchange. They are my absolute favorite holiday sweet treat!
If you love this recipe for homemade apricot tarts, I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟 rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
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Homemade Apricot Tarts
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
For apricot filling:
- 1 cup chopped dried apricots
- water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg optional
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp orange juice
For tart dough:
- 1 1/3 cups butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 2/3 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional, but recommended
To garnish:
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
For apricot filling:
- Add chopped dried apricots and enough water to come 1 inch above apricots in a saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until thickened.
- Stir in sugar, butter, nutmeg (optional), cinnamon and orange juice. Cook a bit longer, until texture is like jam.
- Stir, cool and store in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use.
For tart dough:
- Add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the beater blade, combine ingredients on medium-high speed until well blended. Add vanilla, if using, and mix until incorporated. Turn mixer off, add flour and mix on low speed just until combined and a ball of dough forms. The dough should be thick.
- Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.
To assemble tarts:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Form dough into walnut size balls and place into a mini muffin or tart pan. Using a tart tamper dusted with flour, press down on each ball to form the tart shape.
- Fill each tart with a rounded teaspoon of filling (homemade or store-bought apricot jam). Bake for 10 minutes or until very lightly golden. Be careful not to overbake! Remove pan from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
- When completely cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container or freeze in freezer containers until ready to serve. Allow tarts to come to room temperature before serving for best texture.
Notes
Nutrition
*This post has been updated with new photos and helpful tips from the original version published on December 11, 2010. The delicious recipe remains the same. 😃
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My only response to this recipe is that you are married to a very lucky man.👌
Thank you Cameron!:)