Makes 12

• 1 recipe A. Chef’s Cooking Studio all-butter pie dough (or any pie dough you prefer)
• 1 cup jam of choice (you may not use all of this, spread extra on graham crackers and snack while tarts are baking…)
• 12 ounces almond paste or marzipan (you can find almond paste at all major grocery stores, look on the baking isle near chocolate chips, etc.)
• 1 12-cup mini muffin pan or,
• 2 12 cup super-mini muffin pans (think peanut butter cup candy, that size)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Roll pie dough on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness.  Using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds about 1/8-inch wider than the openings of your muffin pan.

Gently press each round into the pan.  Dock with a fork.  Set on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes until just starting to color lightly.  Remove and let cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll almond paste into a ¼ inch wide “log” and cut into 12 pieces (or, into 24 if using mini, mini, muffin pan).  Gently press each piece into a thin disk.  Set a disk of paste into the bottom of each pre-baked shell.

Top with 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of jam, (depending on size of cup), but really fill them up a little “boil over” is not a problem.

Place back in oven and cook 12-15 minutes, until bubbling and bubbles start to look translucent.

Remove and stay with the pan, you have to let these cool for about 4-5 minutes but then get them out of the pan while still fairly hot – if you let them cool completely in the pan they will stick.

Serve room temperature sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Note: Use GOOD jam, we made ours in our Instant Pot.