Description
These Classic Jam-Filled Tarts are a delightful treat featuring a crisp, buttery dairy-free pastry filled with sweet, melted jam. Perfect for tea time or a light dessert, these tarts combine simplicity with delicious flavor and are easy to prepare with common pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 250 g plain all-purpose flour
- 125 g dairy-free margarine
- 75 g cold water (approximately)
Filling
- 400 g jam (any flavour)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (Fan 180°C) / 400°F / Gas Mark 6 to ensure it reaches the right temperature while you prepare the pastry.
- Prepare the Pastry: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and dairy-free margarine. Use your fingertips to rub them together until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the cold water little by little, mixing gently with a table knife after each addition. Avoid kneading; instead, cut through the mixture to keep the pastry tender. Once you have a soft, smooth dough ball, wrap it and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Roll and Cut the Pastry: Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ½ cm thickness. Use a 9 cm round pastry cutter or a similarly sized glass to cut out 12 circles. Re-roll any scraps as needed to get all 12.
- Fill the Tart Shells: Place each pastry circle into a muffin tin, pressing gently to form shallow tart shells. Spoon the jam evenly into each shell, being careful not to overfill, as the jam will expand during baking.
- Bake: Bake the tarts for about 15 minutes until the pastry edges turn lightly golden and the jam bubbles and melts. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely in the tin before removing, as the jam will be very hot right after baking.
Notes
- Using cold water helps keep the margarine firm for a flakier pastry.
- You can customize the filling with any flavor of jam you prefer, such as raspberry, strawberry, or apricot.
- Be careful not to overfill the tart shells to prevent jam from spilling over during baking.
- Allow tarts to cool fully before serving for safer handling and best texture.
- For a richer tart, consider brushing the pastry edges with a dairy-free milk alternative before baking to promote browning.
