Shaped Cookies: Tropical Cookie Tarts

These cookies actually look like mini pies. They're baked in a muffin pan and make excellent party food. Pineapple jam can be a little hard to find, but you can substitute apricot if you need to. They're not really hard to make, but they do require a little patience. If you try to remove them from the muffin pan too soon, they'll far apart. So don't  rush the cooling process.


Ingredients


For the Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ tsp vanilla


For the Filling
½ cup pineapple jam
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
¾ cup coconut, shredded or flaked


Preparation


Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-muffin pan with a light coat of baking spray to prevent sticking. In a large bowl, combine all cookie ingredients until you have crumbly dough. Finish mixing the dough by hand until you have a smooth ball of dough. Press this dough into the 12 muffin cups, dividing the dough evenly. Press the along the bottom and up the sides of each cup.


In a small bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Gently spoon this mixture into the dough-lined muffin cups, dividing it equally between all 12 cups. Bake the cookie tarts for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crusts are a light golden brown. Cool in pan for at least 20 minutes.


When the cookies are mostly cool, turn the pan upside down over a wire cooling rack. If the cookies don't slide out on their own, tap the bottom of each cup with the handle of a table knife. Tap firmly and the cookies should slide out.


Turn cookies over and allow to cool completely before serving. These cookies can be kept for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container.