Savory and sweet, these tarts combine some of the best flavors of fall in a surprisingly delicious way! Fun for happy hour or your next holiday gathering!

Ingredients

  • 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed yet cold
  • 1 egg white

Caramelized Onion (Optional)

  • ½  Large or 1 medium onion
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt
  • ¼ – ½ tsp cinnamon (see note in Cheese Mixture)

Cheese Mixture

  • 1/3 c ricotta
  • 1/3 c Creamy Toscano Dusted with Cinnamon, shredded

*If using cinnamon cheese, only use ¼ tsp cinnamon in onion

  • OR 1/3 c Fontina, shredded (use ½ tsp cinnamon in onion mixture)
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Fresh Cranberries & Brown Sugar

  • ½  cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter
  • ½ Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
  • *If skipping the caramelized onions, add 1/8 tsp cinnamon here

Tools & Timing

  • Prep bowls (2); one glass
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Sharp knife
  • Pastry brush (or paper towel)
  • 1 hour and 15 minutes

Background

I love cheese, so I often go hunting for new types of cheese at Trader Joe’s. A few years ago, I alighted on Creamy Toscano Dusted with Cinnamon and knew I had to try it! Since then, I’ve been experimenting with adding this sweetly savory cheese to a variety of dishes. Initially, I wanted to make a fall pizza…and I ended up with fantastic fall tarts! Hope you enjoy!

I learned to caramelize onions from Bon Appetit…and then added my own spin by adding the cinnamon for a sweetly savory experience

Cranberries adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Step-by-step

*Set puff pastry out to thaw 35 minutes ahead (depending on room temperature, it may take 40 minutes to thaw – you want it to unfold easily yet still be cold, so check at 35 minutes…if it’s not ready, wait another 5 minutes). Prep baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove frozen sheet of pastry from package. Set on parchment covered baking sheet, but do not ‘unfold’ it. Set timer.

Caramelize the onions: begin after puff has been thawing for 10 minutes

There are many different articles out about caramelizing onions. I read the article “Caramelized Onions” on Bon Appetit, decided to chop my onions my own way, chose the “French onion soup” option, reduced the number of onions to be cooked (and the recipe accordingly), and added a twist.

  1. Prep onion (Hold hairy root and cut off the opposite end. Peel onion so you retain the hairy root – you’ll use this to grip the onion as you slice it.  Carefully cut the onion in half almost to the root. Holding the root, slice into wedges that are ¼ inch– separate into a bowl so all pieces come apart – push arcs apart if necessary).
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp unsalted butter in large pot over medium-high heat (I find a dark-coated pot works best).
  3. Once butter starts to sizzle, begin to add onion, a handful at a time. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook 2 minutes, then add another handful. Repeat process until all onions are in the pot (I did this 3 times to cook one onion).
  4. Add in a pinch of kosher salt and stir.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent onions from burning.
  6. When the onions begin to turn gold and translucent (this took me a total of 20 minutes), remove pot from heat, place onions in a prep bowl, and toss with cinnamon.

When your Pastry Puff is Thawed

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Separate egg white from yolk.
  3. Unfold pastry sheet.
  4. Brush pastry with egg white. Then, fold edges and press with a fork (to make a thicker crust). Gently poke the pastry with the fork to make small holes, being careful not to push all the way through the dough. Brush crust with egg white. (Optional: prep for smaller, circular pastries by cutting the pasty roughly into squares. Pepperidge Farm premade dough comes in a 9 x 9 ½ sheets, so cut into nine ‘squares.’ Poke holes across the pastry and brush with egg white. Then, fold the corners of each square towards/into the middle. Use the fork to firmly press the corners to the center to seal these pieces together. Now you have smaller squares or circular pastries!)
  5. Bake pastry for 10 minutes.
  6. As the pastry begins to bake, blend cheeses and a pinch of salt in prep bowl.
  7. Prep brown sugar cranberries: melt butter in heatproof bowl. Add cranberries and toss so berries are coated in butter. Add brown sugar and toss again. (If skipping onions, add cinnamon.)
  1. After 10 minutes, remove pastry puff (allow to fall or press the center down with the back of a spoon if it got puffy – this is one of my secret tips – sometimes, puff pastry doesn’t behave…so I press it back into the desired shape after par-baking). If using, divide cinnamon caramelized onions evenly in one thin layer onto puff(s). Next, spoon and gently spread cheese in an even layer. Finally, top with cranberries. Tip: things in odd numbers are more aesthetically pleasing, so use 3 or 5 cranberries to garnish if making bite-sized tarts!
  2. Bake another 20 minutes until pastry edges are golden brown.
  3. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. (If a few cranberries or cheese ‘escaped while baking,’ use this time to gently press back into place using a spoon or small spatula.)

Serve and Enjoy

Other Options

I’ve made these as larger tarts: when prepping the dough, slice into 4 portions, then simply cut each tart into 4 when serving.

*You could also skip the caramelized onion for a sweeter experience…simply add 1/8 tsp of cinnamon to your cranberries!

So delicious…any way you slice them!