Tiny Shortbread Tarts

Christmas Eve at Steve and Patty's, which is what Christmas Eve has been every year of my life and which I will not give up for anything. The golabki were waiting when we arrived, the table was set for nine, and Babcia Rose was in her chair with an expression that communicates, every year, that she is exactly where she intends to be and everything is proceeding as it should.

Owen and Nora in their Christmas outfits, which Patty bought: Owen in a little plaid suit with a bow tie that he tolerated for approximately forty minutes before making clear through increasingly emphatic means that the bow tie was not acceptable, and Nora in a red velvet dress that she wore with the dignity of someone who knows she looks good and is choosing not to make a thing of it. Which is Nora entirely.

Dziadek Wally held both babies for most of the evening. He called Owen "Myszka's boy" again and held him at eye level and they looked at each other, the old man and the baby, and I thought about the span of years between them and how every moment Wally has with them is a gift neither of them fully understands the weight of. He is ninety-three. Owen is ten months old. They looked at each other and that was sufficient.

After dinner, after the babies were asleep in the travel crib in Steve and Patty's bedroom, the adults sat around the table with the last of the wine and talked in the way that families talk after the children are down and the food is done: about the year, about what is coming, about the people we love and what we want for them. Ryan held my hand under the table. Matt was on his second glass of wine and telling a story about one of his baseball players. Babcia Rose dozed slightly in her chair and then opened her eyes and said something in Polish that Patty said meant "this is all I wanted." It was all I wanted too.

There is always something sweet after the golabki, after the wine, after Babcia Rose has said the thing in Polish that means everything — and this year, like most years, it was cookies on a plate passed around the table while someone finished a story and someone else laughed too loud and the babies slept through all of it. These tiny shortbread tarts are what I keep coming back to for nights like that one: small enough to eat without ceremony, buttery enough to feel like a treat worth making, and exactly the kind of thing that belongs in the center of a table where everyone is exactly where they intend to be.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 43 minutes | Servings: 24 tarts

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup jam or fruit curd of your choice (raspberry, apricot, or lemon curd work beautifully)
Additional powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin or line with small paper liners.
Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine.
Add the flour. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour and salt, mixing just until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Do not overmix.
Shape the tarts. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough into each mini muffin cup. Using your thumb or the back of a small spoon, press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of each cup to form a small shell.
Fill. Spoon approximately 1/2 teaspoon of jam or curd into the center of each shell. Do not overfill — the filling will bubble slightly as it bakes.
Bake. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the edges of the shortbread are just beginning to turn a light golden color. The centers will look slightly soft but will firm up as they cool.
Cool and finish. Allow the tarts to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tiny Shortbread Tarts — The Cookies That Belong on Babcia’s Table