Sweet & Simple Jam Tartlets for Mom (or for you!)

Mother’s Day is coming up in a few days, and I know everyone is scampering (at least mentally) to figure out what gift they should get mom for her special day. Keep in mind that most of us moms are thrilled to have something handmade from their children, whether they’re big or small. Knowing that our kiddos gave of their time and effort means so much to most mothers. I have something for you if you’re up for making something instead of or along with buying something. (Show this to your family, moms, if you would like to drop a not-so-subtle hint!)

What I’m about to share with you is one of my favorite all-time recipes. I found it a couple of years ago on evilshenanigans.com, a lovely food blog, and it was so perfect, in my opinion, that I didn’t even feel the need to tweak it, which is unusual for those of us who feel fairly comfortable in the kitchen. Not only is this simple to do, but it’s also really fun, especially for children.

I’ve been using this recipe for special occasions: My sister and I made them for my boys at Christmas last year, and they were a big hit! I made them in a demo class last week at an assisted living center for a big group of ladies (and a few men, too!) and they were surprised that something so simply made could taste so good. It was fun to watch their skeptical faces light up when they tasted the little tartlets! I want your face to light up, too, so I shared it this morning on In the Kitchen with Mama Steph on KLTV7 and with you here right now!

Here’s a link to the VIDEO of my segment on KLTV this morning. Check it out! 🙂

Sweet & Simple Jam Tartlets

www.evilshenanigans.com

Yield: 30 tartlets

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks cold salted butter, chopped into 4 pieces each
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup strawberry, blueberry, apricot, or other flavor of jam (seedless is best) or “all-fruit” spread
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and have ready a mini-muffin or mini-tart pan.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter. Pulse until the mixture forms a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and form into a log. Divide the log in half and divide each half into 15 pieces.

Place a ball of dough in the cup of a mini-muffin pan and, using a dough tamper or your fingers, press down until the dough reaches the top of the cup.

Spoon two teaspoons or so of jam into each tart shell, making sure the tart shells are not too full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tarts are golden brown and the jam is bubbling. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing to a rack to cool the rest of the way. This step is important so that the hot, liquid jam doesn’t spill out of the tart shells.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

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These little delicacies are really so simple to make that you can do them with children very easily. Rolling the little balls of dough, pressing in on them with a dough tamper, (or a thumb, but a $3 dough tamper makes it more fun and makes the tartlets more uniform), and filling the little shells with teaspoons full of jam are all tasks the little ones in your life can easily do with you. The only absolutely grown-ups only part of it is using the food processor; they’re dangerous if not used carefully. I always unplug mine as soon as I have finished processing, before I reach my hand in the bowl to remove the dough. Better safe than sorry!

Place the tartlets on a pretty tray or plate with a cup of coffee or tea and serve your mom (or other special person in your life) a beautiful “I love you!”