Today's Kitchen Tip: Making easy mini tart shells for cookies and appetizers

I love to make mini tarts and mini cookies.  One of my favorite cookies to make is a pecan tassie.  It has a shell and a sweet pecan filling.  It is fabulous but can be a pain in the rear to make.  Why?  Because the cookie needs a shell pressed into a mini muffin pan.

I used to do this with my fingers, but found a really simple tool that helps out with this task. It's a tart tamper.  I just put my dough in the muffin pan and use the tart tamper to press into the pan.  If extra dough 'hangs off', I use a knife to trim it.

This works well for cookie dough, but also works well if I have pie crust rounds that I want to press into shape.  It works for lots of things, just let your imagination be your guide.

Tart tampers are just a few dollars and can be found at places like Bed Bath & Beyond or any cooking place. 

You will find many uses for this helpful tool.