Rachael Ray’s Date-Nut Mini Tarts

I saw this recipe in Rachael’s magazine and it reminded me of a cookie my Aunt Terry makes for Christmas. For nostalgia value alone, I had to try it out. However, nostalgia doesn’t always mean I need to look like Santa, so I came up with a slimmer version so I can enjoy them guilt free! This is also a great substitution recipe – you can use other fruits aside from dates if you like. Dried cranberries also work great!

Unlike your crazy neighbors, we’ve moved! We have a new page Thindulge, where we recreate all your favorite recipes, not just from Food Network, to be guilt free and now gluten free as well! Visit our YouTube page, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @Thindulge and see us on Pinterest!

DATE-NUT MINI TARTS – Anthony J. Caruso

INGREDIENTS

One 14-ounce box (2 sheets) refrigerated pie dough

1/2 cup egg substitute, room temperature

2 tablespoons brown sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons light butter spread, melted (recommended: Smart Balance Light)

1/2 cup finely chopped dates

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter and working with 1 sheet of pie dough at a time, cut out rounds of dough from each sheet. Reroll scraps to cut additional rounds. Fit the rounds into 2 nonstick 24-cup mini-muffin tins; refrigerate. (You won’t fill both sheets.)

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, brown sugar and salt at high speed until thick, about 2 minutes. Beat in the corn syrup and butter.

Divide the dates and pecans among the muffin cups. Spoon the egg mixture into the cups, filling to just below the dough’s edge, making sure not to spill or overfill. Bake until puffed and set, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans.

Here’s the skinny:

First, I used egg substitute, cutting out the fat and calories from the eggs.

Next, I used a brown sugar blend substitute to cut down on the unhealthy sugars in the recipe.

Lastly, I used a light butter spread, cutting about 80% of the saturated fat from the butter.