These simple homemade mini jam tarts with buttery pastry and a sweet jam filling make a great lunch box treat or after school snack. Quick and easy to make, freezer-friendly and kid-approved!
This post is sponsored by Barker's New Zealand.
Like so many of you, I'm always on the hunt for simple and yummy lunch box recipes that I know my little boy will love.
I've always got a few recipes on high rotation - including my one-bowl banana bread, white chocolate and raspberry muffins, the famous 100 cookie recipe... and of course, these mini jam tarts!
Where Do Jam Tarts Come From?
Jam tarts, with their sweet jam filling and buttery melt-in-your-mouth pastry, are thought to have originated from Britain.
Nowadays they are a popular sweet treat sold in bakeries and supermarkets in Britain, Australia and New Zealand (as well as in many other countries too!)
The sweet little tarts are great for lunchboxes or an afternoon tea treat. They're an all-time favourite with kids and adults alike... and best of all, they couldn't be easier to make at home.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
Once you make these sweet little pastries, you'll never go back to the store-bought varieties again! Here's what makes them so great:
- Bakery Style - my homemade version tastes just like the bakery version... think buttery pastry with sweet thick jam... but without the price tag! In fact, a whole batch of 12 of my jam tarts will set you back about the same price as 1-2 bakery bought tarts!
- Quick & Easy - these simple jam tarts are so simple to make and take just a few minutes to prepare.
- Great For Lunch Boxes - you can be guaranteed that these will be the first things to disappear from your little ones school lunch boxes! The mini size is perfect for kids too.
- Versatile - as much as I love a classic jam tart, they taste just as delicious filled with lemon curd too.
- Freezer-Friendly - it's unlikely that these mini tarts will actually make it to the freezer, but if they do... you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
What You Need
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
For the pastry:
- Flour - choose plain flour (also known as all purpose flour)
- Bi-Carbonate Soda - also known as baking soda
- Caster Sugar - also known as superfine sugar. You can also use regular white sugar
- Butter - either unsalted or salted butter is fine to use
- Egg - choose a large egg (approximately 55g)
- Vanilla Extract - or vanilla essence
For the filling:
- Jam - choose a good quality jam. For this recipe I used Barker's Three Berry Jam (made from strawberries, boysenberries and blackcurrants)
How To Make Jam Tarts
It couldn't be easier to make these yummy mini jam tarts.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Prepare The Pastry
This melt-in-your-mouth pastry will leave you drooling...
Cream The Butter And Sugar
You can do this step using a food processor, beaters or a Thermomix.
Continue until the mixture is pale and creamy.
Add The Egg And Vanilla
Mix through the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
Sift Over The Flour And Bi-Carbonate (Baking) Soda
Once sifted, mix until the dough resembles crumbs.
Chill The Dough
Place the bowl of dough into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Roll Out Onto A Board
Form the dough into a ball.
Use a floured rolling pin to roll the mixture out until 5mm thick.
Use a cookie cutter (approximately 6cm in diameter) to cut the pastry circles out.
Place Into Patty Pan Holes
Lightly grease a 12 hole patty pan (shallow round holes).
Gently press each of the pastry circles into the holes.
Add The Filling
Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of jam into the pastry shells, filling almost to the top.
Optional: Chill In The Freezer
This step is entirely optional but it does help to stop the pastry from shrinking when baked. Chilling the pastry in the freezer for another 30 minutes will allow the pastry shells to hold their shape better.
Bake
Bake in the oven until the edges are starting to turn golden (this will only take around 10 minutes).
Allow the mini jam tarts to rest in the baking pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Note: as tempting as it is, do NOT eat the tarts while they are warm as the jam will burn your mouth!
Recipe Tips & FAQ
Yes absolutely! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Place into the fridge to defrost before consuming.
You can store jam tarts in the fridge for up to 3 days.
As long as you don't overfill the tart shells with jam, they should not overflow as they're not cooked at a super high temperature. Fill the shells with jam to just below the top. If you find the jam is boiling over, your oven needs to be turned down slightly.
All pastry does shrink a little when baked. If you find that your pastry is shrinking too much, your pastry may have been overworked when it was being prepared. Also, chilling the dough helps to prevent it from shrinking.
I like to chill the dough before placing into the patty pan cases and then chilling again before baking - this definitely helps to minimise shrinking.
Yes, absolutely! If you're running short on time, or don't have the equipment needed to make homemade pastry then you can substitute it for store-bought shortcrust pastry sheets. I don't recommend using puff pastry as it puffs up into the jam filling.
There's no need to blind bake the pastry in this recipe.
Absolutely! I love to mix things up and use lemon curd in some of my mini tarts.
Barker's Three Berry Jam
For this recipe I used Barker's Three Berry Jam which is made from strawberries, boysenberries and blackcurrants (it's absolutely delicious).
Barker's jams are made on the original Barker’s family farm near Geraldine, New Zealand (so of course... my Kiwi born mum would be very impressed!)
The jams are all nut-free and have no added preservatives, artificial colours or flavours... making them perfect for school lunch boxes.
You can browse and shop their collection of jams, curds, chutneys, sauces, cordials and more here. Or alternatively, the Barker's products are available in Coles and Woolworths.
More Recipes Using Jam
Love baking with jam? Me too!
Here's a few of my favourite recipes that are made using jam:
- Jam Drops - the BEST old fashioned cookies you'll ever make!
- Coconut Jam Slice - another lunch box winner. This recipe is so simple and delicious.
- Monte Carlo Biscuits - two melt-in-your-mouth biscuits sandwiched together with jam and a creamy filling... absolutely amazing!
- Wagon Wheel Slice - the combination of chocolate, biscuits, jam and marshmallows is just perfect.
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Mini Jam Tarts
Ingredients
For The Pastry
- 85 g butter softened to room temperature
- 30 g (2 tbs) caster sugar superfine
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla essence
- 150 g (1 cup) plain flour all purpose
- ¼ teaspoon bi-carbonate soda
For The Filling
- 255 g (¾ cup) jam
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Place the room temperature butter and the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Beat with a stand-mixer, beaters or a food processor until pale, smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined.
- Sift over the plain flour and bicarbonate soda and mix until the dough comes together.
- Place the bowl of dough into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, form the dough into a ball. Place the ball onto a lightly floured board or bench and roll it out with a rolling pin until 5mm thick.
- Use a 6cm diameter round cookie cutter to cut out the pastry circles.
- Lightly grease a 12 hole patty pan tin. Gently press each of the pastry circles into the holes.
- Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of jam into the pastry shells, filling almost to the top.
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Optional (but recommended - see notes): Chill the tarts in the patty pan tin in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Bake the tarts for 10 minutes or until the edges of the pastry start to turn slightly golden.
- Allow the tarts to cool in the baking pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Note: as tempting as it is, do NOT eat the tarts while they are warm as the jam will burn your mouth.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Thermomix Method
- Place the room temperature butter and the sugar into the Thermomix bowl. Mix for 15 seconds, Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for a further 15 seconds or until pale and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix for 30 seconds, Speed 3.
- Add the plain flour and bi-carbonate of soda and mix for 10 seconds, Speed 5. Then knead for 2 minutes, Kneading function.
- Place the Thermomix bowl with the dough inside, into the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Once chilled, form the dough into a ball. Place the ball onto a lightly floured board or bench and roll it out with a rolling pin until 5mm thick.
- Use a 6cm diameter round cookie cutter to cut out the pastry circles.
- Lightly grease a 12 hole patty pan tin. Gently press each of the pastry circles into the holes.
- Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of jam into the pastry shells, filling almost to the top.
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Optional (but recommended - see notes): Chill the pastry in the patty pan tin in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Bake the tarts for 10 minutes or until the edges of the pastry start to turn slightly golden.
- Allow the tarts to cool in the baking pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Note: as tempting as it is, do NOT eat the tarts while they are warm as the jam will burn your mouth.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Notes
- Flour – choose plain flour (also known as all purpose flour)
- Bi-Carbonate Soda – also known as baking soda
- Caster Sugar – also known as superfine sugar. You can also use regular white sugar
- Butter – either unsalted or salted butter is fine to use
- Egg – choose a large egg (approximately 55g)
- Vanilla Extract – or vanilla essence
I like to chill the dough before placing into the patty pan cases and then chilling again before baking – this definitely helps to minimise shrinking. Pastry substitution - if you’re running short on time, or don’t have the equipment needed to make homemade pastry then you can substitute it for store-bought shortcrust pastry sheets. I don’t recommend using puff pastry as it puffs up into the jam filling. Patty Pan Tin - A patty pan tin is a rectangular baking tray with small shallow round holes in it. It's perfect for making small tarts and cakes.
MARIA says
Hi - there is a mistake in the recipe at step three where it says to sift in the self raising flour, but the ingredient list only has plain flour (and the bicarb)
otherwise great pastry to work with.
thanks
Lucy says
Good pick up!!! Yes it should be plain flour!