*These Pear Frangipane Tarts are deliciously elegant. Thin slices of juicy, fresh pear and a rich, sweet almond paste dress up store-bought puff pastry.*

I’d like to get one more delicious dessert out in the open before this year is over, ok? I’m sure that none of you could possibly complain about this, right? Especially since said dessert is these delicious tarts that are not only phenomenal, but also so sophisticated – the perfect sweet little treat for an elegant New Year’s Eve party!

Possibly the most great thing about this recipe? It’s so deceivingly simple. These tarts feature a ridiculously incredible combination of flaky puff pastry, rich almond frangipane, and juicy ripe pears. Might sound complicated, but I’ve got a couple of tricks up my sleeve. First off, you don’t have to make the puff pastry yourself (although you could). Second, you don’t even have to grind the almonds yourself (although, again, you could). Yes, I did just give you permission to spend the last couple of precious days of 2016 struggling with some pretty advanced kitchen projects, if you so desire. But, IMHO, ain’t nobody got time for that.

So, we use store-bought puff pastry and ground almonds straight from Trader Joe’s – and these tarts are still as delicious as ever. Seriously, I’m absolutely sure that no one will complain if you take these same shortcuts, too. Because this pastry combination is just that irresistible. The buttery, rich, golden sheets of puff pastry are swathed in a super easy frangipane filling. Who knew that ground almonds, some sugar, a bit of butter, and an egg could bake up into something so dang delicious? Actually, I did. After consuming, oh, approximately 1.5 almond croissants every single day that I lived in Paris – yeahhh, frangipane is the best. The finishing touch for these elegantly simple tarts is a beautiful array of thin slices of fresh pear. The sweet, juicy fruit practically melts into the almondy goodness for the most delicious little tart you can imagine.