It was too hot to play
So I sat in the house
On that hot, humid day.
On the other hand, I can't just sit all day, and I had already vacuumed, so instead I decided to bake something. I have been baking large things and then I HAVE to eat them, because if I didn't that would be wasteful and just wrong. I decided to bake something little. I have lots of jam! Let's make jam tartlets. They are bite sized and you can just have one....SURE you can!
If you want a quick version, buy premade pie crust and cut it in circles and place them in a mini muffin pan. As a special treat, you can cut small hunks of premade sugar cookie dough and put them in the muffin pans. I didn't have any of that so I made some from scratch. If you have a pie crust recipe you like use that. I found some recipes with egg yolks, but I didn't have any eggs and I wasn't going shopping until today, so I used a yolk free version. The crust is just a vehicle to pop some jam in your mouth anyway. Unless you go the sugar cookie route and then it is cookie and some jam, and how can that be bad?
Most of the recipes I found were from the UK, so I had to use a conversion chart. This is what I did, but, like I said, feel free to substitute on the crust part.
Jam Tartlets
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar You may make this sweeter if you wish, just don't overdo it!
6 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons milk
Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and use your favorite method to cut it in.
I use a pastry blender, but table knives or fingers work, too.
Put the milk and the vanilla in a small bowl and mix a bit. The pour it in with the flour and stir. If it is still too dry a a bit of milk. Don't add more that 1 teaspoon at a time or it will be too moist and then you'll have to add more flour!
Put a bit of cling wrap on the counter and sprinkle a Tablespoon or so of flour on it. Dump the dough out and give it a knead or two until it starts to hold together.
Roll the whole thing up tightly and place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. If you won't be able to get back to it for longer than that, put it in the refrigerator, instead.
Spray a mini muffin pan with Pam. Using a small spoon, cut off hunks of dough and roll them into a ball. Place each ball in the muffin pan. I tried to make tiny ones and slightly larger ones to see which worked best. Don't go too small. The jam oozes out during cooking and it is hard to get them out in one piece.
I have a Pampered Chef mini tart maker. This is great for making them just the right size and with a perfect depression. It is also perfect for muddling mint for a mojito, but that is for another time.
Remember to dip it into a small bowl of flour between each tartlet. If you don't have one just form a small bowl with your fingers.
Drop small amounts of jam in each depression. Don't overfill as it will bubble up in the oven and make a mess. If you do it right...and I didn't on every one...they will pop right out and the pan will be mostly clean. Baked on jam is hard to get off!
I used homemade blackberry jam in some and purchased lemon curd in some. I mixed them in a few tartlets. Feel free to use any jam you like.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400. They should be slightly browned on the edges.
They made a bite-sized dessert or snack and with any luck Lee will get to them before I am hungry again.
Those look great - and it sounds pretty easy especially if you went with the sugar cookie or pie crust route. I might have to give these a try. And soon!
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