We’ve all needed a little cheering up at times, especially this past past year. These cute, happy tarts won’t take your problems away, but they can certainly make you smile, especially if you make them for someone else. They’re super easy to make and they taste better than the ones in the box we ate as kids. You can use store bought pie dough if you want to streamline the process. Any flavor of jam or preserves you have on hand works too!
Feel free to have fun decorating these little cuties. The possibilities are endless. You can use edible glitter, purchased candy eyes or even add mustaches. Happy baking!
Happy Jam Tarts
Jam-filled tarts with icing
Ingredients
Jam Tarts
- 2 9-inch pie crusts, store bought or homemade
- 1 cup strawberry jam or preserves or any flavor of your choice
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk or water
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- gel food color * I used Wilton Rose gel food color
- ½ teaspoon meringue powder ** optional but helps icing to set
Decorations
- sprinkles
- black fondant
- blue fondant or any color of your choice
Instructions
Jam Tarts
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll pie dough onto lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 6-inch by 4-inch rectangles, re-rolling dough as necessary.
- Make egg wash by beating egg together with milk in a small bowl.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of jam onto right half of each rectangle to within 1/2-inch of edges. Brush edges with egg wash.
- Fold dough in half, left side over right. Seal edges by pressing with a fork
- Poke several holes in the top of each tart with a toothpick.
- Bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Icing
- In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt together until smooth.
- Using a toothpick, add food color a little at a time until desired shade is achieved.
- Stir in meringue powder, if using.
- Spoon icing onto tarts.
- Add sprinkles while icing is wet. When icing has set, add eyes, mouths and bows if desired.
Decorations
- For the eyes, make 16 1/8-inch balls of black fondant. Flatten slightly. Adhere with a bit of water.
- For the mouths, make 8 1/2-inch long, very thin strips of black fondant. Adhere with a tiny bit of water, using tweezers if necessary.
- For the bows, roll out blue fondant to 1/16th-inch thickness. Cut out bows using ***bow cutter. Adhere with a bit of water.
Notes
*To find Wilton Rose gel food color, click here
**To find meringue powder, click here
***To find bow cutter, click here
