This month, when my Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine arrived (a must have subscription), I noticed a recipe for Cherry Lime Cups. They made me think of that drink. Now, we've established that Dad likes lime things and Mom likes cherries so this seems like a home run sweet treat. Problem was, could I get away with giving Dad cherries, which he thinks he doesn't like?
I had bought some fresh Bing Cherries from the supermarket and the key lime juice from previous cupcake ventures. This recipe was ready to unfold without any additional trips to the store. I love baking something without having to make a "special trip". When I was a kid, I always knew we had ingredients for peanut butter or oatmeal raisin cookies...just in case I got the hankering and wanted to convince Mom to bake some.
I went to work baking these little tatties. In attempts to avoid getting dough under my nails, I tried some creative things to press the dough into the cups! (I used a medicine bottle wrapped in a cupcake liner!) Afterwards I realized I didn't it tampered down as much as I should so they did not have much room for the lime custard filling. The crust was so yummy that it did not turn out to matter. They may have been a little cuter if I had better followed the directions (ie: using my fingers) or used a tart tamper (which I am dying to have--note to self, buy one of those).
In the midst of my halving and pitting the cherries, Dad came in to investigate what was being concocted. He asked me what kind of fruit I had there (really? apparently he is only familiar with maraschino cherries) and in an effort to prevent him from not being willing to try them I said, "it is kinda like a plum." This was not a lie. It is, kinda like a plum. They are shaped and colored similarly. They have the same texture and pits inside. Am I right? That answer sufficed and after he tasted and gave his approval, I explained they were, in fact, cherries! (He still happily ate them!)
Now, on to the recipe...
Cherry-Lime Cups
Total Cook Time 45-47 minutes
Yields 6
Ingredients
For Crust:
· 7 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
· 2/3 cups all purpose flour
· 2/3 cups crushed graham crackers
· ¼ cup sugar
· ½ tspn. coarse salt
· 2 large egg yolks
· ½ tspn. pure vanilla extract
For Filling:
· 2 large eggs
· 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
· 2/3 cup sugar
· ¼ cup plus 1 T. key lime juice
· ¼ tspn. coarse salt
· 9 bing cherries, halved and pitted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350⁰. Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a food processor; process butter, flour, graham crumbs, sugar, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and vanilla and process until dough comes together when pressed (dough will be crumbly).
2. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each into a ball and place in a muffin cup, pressing evenly into the bottom and up the sides*. Line each crust with a cupcake liner and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until edges are dry, 15 minutes. Carefully remove liners and weights ; bake until crusts are dry and barely golden, an additional 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, four, sugar, lime juice, and salt. Place three cherry halves into each crust and divide filling among each. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. With the tip of a knife or a small offset spatula, remove cups from pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 1 day.)
The original recipe called for all flour in the crusts but I felt some graham flour would add a nice touch and better balance the tartness of the filling. The crust was super good so I would do that again!
These were really yummy and the crust was tender, buttery, and delish. I would use this crust recipe again and make different fillings. You could put in a lemon or chocolate chess filling or even just put in fresh fruit and top it with a glaze. You could also omit the cherries (if they aren't in season) and top with a little fresh whipped cream and a touch of lime zest as a garnish!
Yumalicious Dishes!
