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Jam tarts
Jam tarts are a classic British bake and one of the easiest recipes to make with children. With just a simple pastry base and a spoonful of jam or curd, you can create a tray of colourful treats that are perfect for parties, after-school snacks, or a nostalgic bake together. Kids love rolling out the dough, cutting shapes, and choosing their favourite fillings, and the result is always delicious.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 225 g plain flour
- 125 g cold butter diced
- 1 –2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 egg yolk optional, for richer pastry
- A pinch of salt
- Assorted jams or curds raspberry jam, strawberry, apricot, lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Place the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the egg yolk if using, then add cold water a little at a time until the dough just comes together.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the pastry until about 3mm thick.
- Use a round cookie cutter to cut circles of dough and press them gently into a muffin tin or tart pan.
- Spoon a heaped teaspoon of jam or curd into each pastry case. Avoid overfilling, as the jam will bubble up when baking.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the jam is bubbling.
- Allow to cool slightly in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. Remember the jam will be very hot straight from the oven.
- Variations
Recipe Notes
• Puff pastry – use ready-rolled puff pastry for a lighter, flaky version.
• Shortbread crust – for a sweeter, crumbly tart base.
• Different jams – try a mix of raspberry, strawberry, apricot, and lemon curd so each tart is unique.
• Seasonal twist – mincemeat at Christmas, lemon curd at Easter, or berry jams in summer.