Welcome back to our a-z of ingredients cooking with kids series. We are already at J is for…… Jam tarts.

Jam tarts are one of those things that I remember making with my mum from scraps of pastry when I was young and it takes me right back to make them with the boys. They are super simple and you do not have to even make your own pastry, there is nothing wrong with shop bought ones.

How to make Jam Tarts

Name: Jam tarts, cooking with kids
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 60 g of butter; 60 g of Trex (or other shortening or lard); pinch of salt; 200 g self raising flour; ice cold water (as needed); Jam

Ingredients

60 g of butter

60 g of Trex (or other shortening or lard)

pinch of salt

200g self raising flour

ice cold water (as needed)

Jam

Equipment list

12 hole tart trays

Fluted pastry cutter or glass

Bowl

Scales

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Place the butter, shortening and flour in a mixing bowl and mix them all together with your fingers until you have a mainly crumbly mixture. The odd lump or two will not spoil the pastry. We used to call this tickling the ingredients when the boys were younger!Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pastry mix and “cut” it in with a blunt knife, we use a butter knife.

Use your hands form the pastry mix into a ball shape, This may take a minute or so, so add a drop of water at a time if the ball isnt coming together easily.Wrap the pastry mix in cling film and place in the fridge for thirty minutes.

Dust the work surface with flour, take the pastry mix from the fridge and flatten it slightly with your hands.

Use a rolling pin to flatten out the pastry to approximately ¼cm (one tenth inch)

Keep turning the pastry round every few rolls to stop it sticking to the work surfaceUse the pastry cutter to cut out pastry circles which are just larger than the holes in the baking tray.

Firm each pastry circle into a hole in the baking tray.

Fill each pastry with a teaspoon of jam. We use squirty jam to fill our jam tarts as it is so much easier. Just make sure you use less jam than you think you will need!

Place the tarts in the pre-heated oven and cook for twenty minutes before removing and allowing to cool for 5 minutes before getting an adult to place them on a cooling tray as the jam is really hot.

5 from 1 vote

Jam tarts, cooking with kids

How to make Jam Tarts

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12

Author The Mad House

Ingredients

60 g of butter
60 g of Trex or other shortening or lard
pinch of salt
200 g self raising flour
ice cold water as needed
Jam

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Place the butter, shortening and flour in a mixing bowl and mix them all together with your fingers until you have a mainly crumbly mixture. The odd lump or two will not spoil the pastry. We used to call this tickling the ingredients when the boys were younger!
Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pastry mix and "cut" it in with a blunt knife, we use a butter knife.
Use your hands form the pastry mix into a ball shape, This may take a minute or so, so add a drop of water at a time if the ball isnt coming together easily.
Wrap the pastry mix in cling film and place in the fridge for thirty minutes.
Dust the work surface with flour, take the pastry mix from the fridge and flatten it slightly with your hands.
Use a rolling pin to flatten out the pastry to approximately ¼cm (one tenth inch)
Keep turning the pastry round every few rolls to stop it sticking to the work surface
Use the pastry cutter to cut out pastry circles which are just larger than the holes in the baking tray.
Firm each pastry circle into a hole in the baking tray.
Fill each pastry with a teaspoon of jam. We use squirty jam to fill our jam tarts as it is so much easier. Just make sure you use less jam than you think you will need!
Place the tarts in the pre-heated oven and cook for twenty minutes before removing and allowing to cool for 5 minutes before getting an adult to place them on a cooling tray as the jam is really hot.