Elegant Almond Jam Tarts

By jtoro_318

These mini tarts, placed on a pretty plate and dusted with confectioners' sugar, make a lovely (and tasty) dessert. Don't have our square mini tart pan? Use a mini muffin pan.

Ingredients

• Crust
• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
• 2 large egg yolks; save the whites for the filling
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) milk
• Filling
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces, 1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
• 1 tablespoon King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 large eggs whites (reserved from crust)
• 1 teaspoon almond emulsion or 3 drops almond oil
• 1 cup (3 3/8 ounces) almond flour or ground whole almonds
• 2 tablespoons jam, any flavor
• Glaze
• 1 cup (4 ounces) glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water

Details

Servings 24
Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. You'll be baking these tarts in two batches in your mini-tart pan; it doesn't need to be greased.

To make the crust: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the 1/2 cup cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Whisk the egg yolks with the 1/4 cup milk, and add to the dough, stirring till cohesive. Divide the dough into 24 pieces (1/2 ounce each). Working with half the pieces at a time, press into the bottom and up the sides of the mini-tart cups. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

To make the filling: Beat together the 4 tablespoons butter, salt, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Beat in the egg whites and extract, then stir in the almond flour or ground almonds.

To assemble and bake the tarts: Place 1/4 teaspoon jam into the bottom of each pastry-lined cup. Cover with 1 tablespoon of the filling. Bake the tarts for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Cool slightly before removing from the pan to cool on a rack. Repeat with the remainder of the dough and filling.

To make the glaze: Stir together the glaze ingredients, adding the water a bit at a time to make a medium-thin glaze. Drizzle over the cooled tarts. Tarts may be stored airtight for several days, or frozen for longer storage.