Everyone is going to heart these festive jam tarts! They’re super simple but super delicious!
This is the last recipe of the year so I’m making it jam-tastic! I’ve always been a big fan of the baked goods aisle in the supermarket and I remember how much I loved the jam tarts of yesteryear. In those days we bought them in a tri-colour pack but I only had eyes for the strawberry tarts, I left the other colours and flavours for mum to consume!
I love baking with jam – it’s one of my favourite ingredients – so when my neighbour Luce gave me a jar of her homemade strawberry jam I got a tad excited. I debated whether to make some of my all time favourite Jam Puffs, some festive Jam Star Cookies or go traditional with some old fashioned Jam Drops. In the end, I decided to cook something new, that was a childhood favourite, a tad festive and a little bit old skool… These Festive Jam Tarts! Aren’t they cute?
Now, I love making my own pastry but if you’re not a fan, 500g of store bought shortcrust pastry or 2-3 pastry sheets should see you right. I like to make my pastry with an egg yolk but if you need it to be egg free, just skip the yolk and use extra iced water instead.
Now I used Luce’s strawberry jam but for a festive feel, any red colour jam will do. If you want to be really adventurous and love a riot of colour, fill your tarts with a variety of jams, like apricot, blueberry or even a dollop of lemon butter!
The real trick with these tarts is to use just a scant teaspoon of jam because use any more than that and the jam will spread everywhere! It’s not pretty and it is messy! Similarly, take care when removing the tarts from the oven because the jam will be hot and molten and can easily spill out of the pastry shells if you tip the tray. The tarts are best enjoyed cool when the jam has set and is all sticky, jammy and oh, so delicious!
Personally, I think the best thing about these tarts is that they’re so small, you can eat more of them. This is just as well because these are so tasty, it’s almost impossible to stop at one!
Are you a jam fan too? Do you have a favourite baking ingredient?
Makes 24 tarts
Ingredients
300g plain flour
150g cold butter, chopped
30g icing sugar
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk (optional)
1-2 tablespoons iced water
24 teaspoons of jam
How to – Traditional
- To make the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips or pulse together in a food processor. When the mixture looks and feels like fresh breadcrumbs, stir in the egg yolk and/or cold water, with a cutlery knife. Start to bring the dough together in one lump with your hands – try not to knead it too much. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water if it’s not coming together, but be careful not to make the dough too wet. Wrap plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced and lightly grease tart tin. Dust your work surface with flour. Unwrap and roll out the chilled pastry so it’s about the thickness of a $2/£1 coin, then use a straight or fluted 6cm round cutter to cut out 24 circles, big enough to line the holes in the tin.
- Lightly prick the bases with a fork and then dollop a scant teaspoon of your favourite jam/s into each one and, if you like, cut out little pastry stars and pop them on top.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the pastry is golden and the jam is bubbling.
- Carefully remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to – Thermomix
- To make the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6. The mixture should look and feel like fresh breadcrumbs.
- Weigh in the egg yolk and enough cold water to make 55g. Set the dial to the closed lid position and combine on interval speed for 40 seconds. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water if it’s not coming together, but be careful not to make the dough too wet. Wrap plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced and lightly grease tart tin. Dust your work surface with flour. Unwrap and roll out the chilled pastry so it’s about the thickness of a $2/£1 coin, then use a straight or fluted 6cm round cutter to cut out 24 circles, big enough to line the holes in the tin.
- Lightly prick the bases with a fork and then dollop a scant teaspoon of your favourite jam/s into each one and, if you like, cut out little pastry stars and pop them on top.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the pastry is golden and the jam is bubbling.
- Carefully remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
