Jammy Tarts

By NicoleS

Ingredients

• Sweet Rich Brown Sugar Pastry:
• 250 g plain flour
• 125 g soft butter
• 2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• Tarts:
• 12 tablespoons of either one type or a selection of preserves, such as lemon curd, blackberry, strawberry or raspberry jam
• 1 medium egg

Details

Adapted from pimientadulce.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Pastry:
1.Put the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add the egg and blitz for a minute or so more until the mix looks like it is just coming together.
2.Remove the processor blade and get your hands into the mixture, bringing it together into a ball.
3.If you are making the pastry by hand then mix the butter, sugar and salt together in a bowl until combined. Add the eggs and stir until mixed in, then add the flour and mix it through with as few stirs as possible.
4.Then wrap the pastry in cling film and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
5.Use as required (or keep in the freezer, defrosting for use at a later stage).


For the Tarts:
1.Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a muffin tin with oil (an oil spray is handy for this) and set aside.
2.Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to about 5mm thick. Then, using a round cutter and a star or heart cutter, stamp out 12 of each shape. Reroll the pastry as necessary to use it all up.
3.Line each hole of the muffin tin with a pastry disc, very gently pushing them down. Prick a few holes in the bottom of the pastry with a fork, so that it does not puff up when baking. Then spoon a tablespoon of your choice of preserve into each one before sitting a pastry star on top.
4.Crack the egg into a mug or small bowl, whisk lightly with a fork and then brush each star with the egg.
5.Place in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden up a bit so that the butter does not melt before the flour has had a chance to harden (which would leave the tarts in a soggy mess).
6.Remove from the freezer and bake for 20-25 minutes.
7.Once cooked, the pastry should be crisp and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before carefully removing onto a wire rack to cool down completely. Now, these are delicious eaten slightly warm, but be careful not to burn yourself with potentially piping hot jam.