Easy Jam Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Mix flour, shortening, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water and mix until a ball is formed. Refrigerate pastry until well chilled, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 shallow muffin cups.
• Roll pastry out thin; cut into rounds with a cookie cutter. Place each round in a muffin cup. Add 2 teaspoons of jam to each cup.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool tarts on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips (or you can pulse these ingredients together in a food processor if you have one). When the mixture looks and feels like fresh breadcrumbs, stir in the egg and vanilla seeds, if using, with a cutlery knife. Add 1 tbsp cold water, then start to bring the dough together in one lump with your hands - try not to knead it too much. Add 1 more tbsp of water if it's not coming together, but try not to add more than that. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Butter a 12-hole tart tin, then dust your work surface with flour. Unwrap and roll out the chilled pastry so it's about the thickness of a £1 coin, then use a straight or fluted round cutter to cut out 12 circles, big enough to line the holes in the tin. Dollop 1-2 tsp of your chosen filling into each one and, if you like, cut out little pastry hearts (perfect for Valentine's Day) and pop them on top.
• Bake for 15-18 mins or until golden and the filling is starting to bubble a little. Leave to cool in the tin for a few mins then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to just under the thickness of £1 coin. Stamp out 20 x 5cm circles using a pastry cutter and line 2 mini muffin tins (or make in 2 batches).
• Prick with a fork and spoon 1 tsp jam into each (we used apricot, blackcurrant and strawberry). Stamp out shapes from the leftover pastry to decorate the tarts, if you like.
• Bake at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 12-15 mins, until the pastry is golden.

Steps:

• Pulse flour, granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and shortening; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add 3 tablespoons water and pulse. Add 3 tablespoons more and pulse. Next, work in longer pulses, stopping to scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until dough holds together when pinched (if necessary, add remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time). Shape into 2 rectangles.
• Roll out one rectangle between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment to 12 by 10 inches, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet. Repeat with second rectangle; stack on top of first. Refrigerate both until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from refrigerator; set aside one sheet. Remove parchment from top of second sheet; spread jam evenly over dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Remove parchment from first piece of dough and place over filling. Fold edges in and press to seal with the tines of a fork. Poke top all over with tines of fork. Brush with beaten egg. Freeze 10 minutes or refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown and bubbling in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on sheet on wire rack.
• Gradually whisk lemon juice into confectioners' sugar to create a glaze with the consistency of honey. Add remaining pinch of salt; whisk to combine. Spoon glaze over tart, spreading almost to edges; sprinkle with freeze-dried berries and let stand until set, at least 1 hour. Slice and serve, or store, lightly wrapped with foil, at room temperature up to 1 day.