Cranberry Crème Brûlée Tarlets

Well it's been a long week. Thankfully rather slow at work, which scares me about how busy it will be tomorrow. I have made myself a few pumpkin smoothies from the recipe last week, and they have all been very good. I'm loving having a blender! This weeks recipe comes from the Holiday 2009 BJ's Journal. This is my first foray into deserts, other than things like pies and cookies, and that disastrous taffy that Rachel and I attempted to make.

Cranberry Crème Brûlée Tartlets
~Betty Crocker Test Kitchens
Crust
1 Pkg Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
Cranberry Filling
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
12 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBS heavy cream
1/2 cup cane sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel
1/2 cup Werther's Original hard candies, crushed



1. Heat oven to 450. In a 1-qrt saucepan, mix cranberry filling ingredients; heat to boiling. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened, cool.
2.Unroll pie crusts on work surface. Flatten each crust slightly with a rolling pin. I didn't have a rolling pin, so I used a plastic cup. Got terrific results! With 31/2" round cutter, cut 8 rounds from each crust. I actually got 9 from each, again with the cup that I used as a rolling pin. Press rounds in bottoms and up sides of muffin cups, with edges extending slightly. Bake crusts 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. I do not own an electric mixer so I beat mine by hand, and not with one of those newfangled hand mixers either. Nope by hand with a fork!
Spoon about 1 heaping tsp cranberry filling into each tartlet;
top with the cream cheese mixture.4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until center is set. Sprinkle each tartlet with crushed caramel candies. Bake 3-5 minutes or until candy is melted. Cool on cooling rack about 1 hour.
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (about 2 hours) before serving. Store in refrigerator.

So right now the Crème Brûlée is cooling in my fridge. I can't wait until I'm able to eat it. Hopefully it will be yummy.