Summer Star Fruit Tart

When it comes to decorating desserts for a party, fruit is your friend! To make this show-stopping Fruit Tart we used star-shaped cookie cutters to create fun shapes out of colorful fruits like kiwi and mango. An easy no-bake cookie crust adds a crunchy-sweet base, and vanilla pudding makes the filling a cinch. It’s time to decorate, celebrate, and harness your imagination!

Makes:

1 tart

Hands-on time:

30 minutes

Start-to-eat time:

40 minutes - 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:
1 ½ cups crushed vanilla cookies or graham crackers
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup fruit preserves or melted chocolate
Filling:
One 5-ounce box vanilla or lemon pudding mix
zest of 1 orange
mango
kiwi
raspberries
(fruit of choice)
Fruit Glaze (optional):
1 cup apricot, strawberry, or raspberry jam
2 tablespoons water or orange juice

Kids kitchen skills:

making a crust
decorating
making a glaze

Tools:

measuring cups & spoons
knife & cutting board
mixing spoon
bowls
star shaped cookie cutter
9-inch tart pan or pie pan

Step-by-step

Grown-up steps

Crush the cookies by adding them to a resealable plastic bag, and crush them using a rolling pin. (You can also pulse them in the food processor.)
Mix the crushed cookies with melted butter. Using your fingers, press the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate or tart mold.
Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the crust. If you like, you can bake the crust instead at 350° F for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Make the pudding according to package directions. Then stir in the orange zest, and set aside.
Spread a thin layer of preserves or melted chocolate along the bottom of the cookie crust, and pour in the pudding mixture.
Use star-shaped cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes in the fruit. Be creative as you arrange fruit on top of the pudding.
To make the optional glaze: In a small pot, combine 1 cup of jam with 2 tablespoons of water or orange juice. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Let it cool slightly and brush the glaze over the top of the fruit tart to preserve it.
Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes before serving.