Black Forest Tart, and my first award!

I'm kind of excited about this, and I have to thank Priscilla, from Priscilla Bakes for this cute award! I strongly recommend her blog for any of you baking fans, she's got some great recipes, and beautiful pictures to go with them, so fun!

So, I'd like to pass this on to Rebecca's Sugarbliss etc blog, which is an awesome blog with very fun and creative ideas for you fellow bakers.

I'd also like to pass this one to Melanie, at My Kitchen Cafe (link on side). I check her blog regularly for fun and family friendly recipes, and I love it!

Okay, now for the food! I LOVE Christmas time because it means Christmas FOOD! There is nothing better then spending a cold afternoon in the kitchen baking goods while the rich aroma fills your home. Mmmm, magic!

This was my first holiday endeavor, which I made for my husband's birthday. He is a fan of anything chocolate, especially when it includes cherries. And I don't know what it is about tarts, but I really love them. They are a bit denser and more concentrated in flavor then a pie, and in a way they remind me of a big cookie! This was a lot of fun to make, and as you can see, it doesn't come out too hard on the eyes either!

If you haven't bought a tart pan yet, be sure to get one with a removable bottom, it will make your life so much easier! Also, if you ever have a pastry that requires this kind of topping that you drizzle, a little trick I discovered is to get a disposable pastry bag, which are really cheap at the craft store, or just a plastic bag, fill it with your topping, snip off the very tip and pipe it on. This way it comes out looking a lot more uniform and you don't run the risk of clumps.

Also, this tart will be the very best if served the day you make it.

Ingredients

1 -1/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cups butter melted

filling:

1/2 cup butter

6 squares (1 ounce each) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

3 eggs

2/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups all purpose flour

topping:

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

2 squares (1 ounce each) semi sweet chocolate, chopped

1 TB heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 11-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until thickened, about 4 minutes. Blend in chocolate mixture. Add flour, mix well.

3. Pour into crust; spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Spread pie filling over the top. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Microwave on high for 20-30 seconds or until chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over tart. Chill until set.

12 servings