Homemade Little Jam Tarts, or mini crostatine alla marmellata as we call them in Italian, are dainty little treats made of a sweet pastry dough filled with jam and finished with a lattice top. Perfect at breakfast, snack, in a lunch box, on a dessert table, for outdoor gatherings. You name it. Crumbly, light, delicious, and super cute.
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Homemade Little Jam Tarts
In the end, making tart, crostata, crostatine is my happy place. For me there is -almost- nothing better than the combination of pastry and jam (pastafrolla e marmellata). These Homemade Little Jam Tarts are often present in Italy at parties, celebrations, and you can find them at bakeries with a jam or chocolate filling, or with custard and fresh fruit.
what you need
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
For the pastry:
- Flour - type 00 flour, pastry flour, or or all purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar - cane sugar or regular white sugar
- Butter - at room temperature
- Egg - large egg
- Lemon - the zest
For the filling:
- Jam - whatever you like. For me strawberry jam, and homemade kumquat marmalade (I like to use a sweeter and a tarter one)
How to make little jam tarts
To make the dough you can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, a food processor, or simply a bowl and a pastry cutter to cut the butter in. This type of pastry dough does not need to rest in the fridge.
- Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3-4 mm thickness. Stamp out 12 x 6.5 cm (2.5") circles using a cookie cutter to cut the pastry circles out.
- Butter 12 mini tart tins (mine were 5 cm/2"). Gently press each of the pastry circles into the tins.
- Prick with a fork and spoon 1-2 teaspoon jam into each.
- Roll out the leftover pastry and make little ropes for a lattice, or, with a cookie cutter, cut out shapes to decorate the top of the tarts. TIP: You will have leftover dough, keep rolling and making more little tarts, or wrap it in plastic and freeze for later use (that's what I did).
- Bake at 340°F/170°C convection for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. If using regular oven, bake at 350°F/180°C.
Homemade Little Jam Tarts, so cute!
Overall, these are wonderful dessert treats that can be handheld and eaten. They stand well with other cookies, and once you bite in there is an uncontrollable urge to smile. What better way to spend a summer day outside enjoying these cute Homemade Little Jam Tarts! Not to mention, if you, like me, love to make homemade jams, this is the perfect way to showcase your preserves.
recipe tips
- Instead of tart tins you can use a muffin pan. Adjust the circle size accordingly.
- Little jam tarts last 4-5 days at room temperature. Or, they can be frozen in an airtight container for 1 month. Defrost before consuming.
- You do not need to blind bake the pastry. Blind bake only if you are filling with custard and topping with fresh fruit.
- You can substitute the jam for chocolate spread, pistachio spread, or lemon curd.
Happy baking!
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Homemade Little Jam Tarts
Homemade Little Jam Tarts are dainty little treats made of a sweet pastry dough filled with jam and finished with a lattice top. Perfect at breakfast, snack, in a lunch box, on a dessert table, for outdoor gatherings. You name it. Crumbly, light, delicious, and super cute.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 little jam tarts 1x
Ingredients
- 250 g flour 00 or pastry flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100 g cane sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- the zest of 1 small lemon
- a few drops of milk or water if the dough seems too dry
Instructions
For the sweet pastry dough:
- In a large bowl, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour with the soft butter, until you get a pebbly consistency.
- Then add the sugar and, continuing to mix, add the lemon zest.
- After, add the sifted baking powder and, finally, the whole egg. Mix everything until the dough almost comes together. If the dough seems too dry, add a drop of milk or water.
- Pour the raggedy dough onto a work surface and gently shape it into a ball, then flatten it. This dough does not need to rest in the fridge.
Assemble and bake:
- Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3-4 mm. Stamp out 12 x 6.5 cm (2.5") circles using a cookie cutter to cut the pastry circles out.
- Butter mini tart tins (mine were 5 cm/2"). Gently press each of the pastry circles into the pans.
- Prick with a fork and spoon 1-2 teaspoon jam into each (I used strawberry jam and homemade kumquat marmalade).
- Roll out the leftover pastry and make little ropes for a lattice top, or stampout shapes with a cookie cutter to decorate the top of the tarts. Note: you will have leftover dough, keep rolling and making more little tarts, or wrap in plastic and freeze for later use (that's what I did).
- Bake at 340°F/170°C convection for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. If using regular oven, bake at 350°F/180°C.
- Allow the little jam tarts to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, then unmold.
Notes
Instead of tart tins you can use a muffin pan. Adjust the circle size accordingly.
Little jam tarts last 4-5 days at room temperature. Or, they can be frozen in an airtight container for 1 month. Defrost before consuming.
You do not need to blind bake the pastry. Blind bake only if you are filling with custard and topping with fresh fruit.
You can substitute the jam for chocolate spread, pistachio spread, or lemon curd.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Devan says
I made this with my niece and nephew and they LOVED it! Great recipe and really easy to follow.
★★★★★
Thank you! So happy to hear you had fun baking these with your niece and nephew!
Natalie says
Oh, I will definitely make these for my daughter's birthday party! Looks so delicious and easy to follow the recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
Thanks! Kids and grown ups will love them!
Marta says
I made these jam tarts with half-guava and half-mango jam. I served them at a holiday get together this past weekend and the guests devoured them. I'll definitely be making these more often.
★★★★★
Great choices of jams! Thank you for making these tarts!
Andrea says
How cute are these! You could make these in so many flavors. Thanks for the tasty little recipe!
You can definitely let your creativity flow! Thanks!
Michele says
These made the most perfect little mini desserts, and they tasted so sweet and yummy. We will be making these again!
★★★★★
Thank you! They are indeed pretty and very delicious!
Jennifer says
These are so cute -- I love the looks of the lattice tops! Can't wait to make for my family :).
Thanks! They will be delighted!
Peter says
These were so tasty and cute. We made them together with my son for his teacher as a way to say thank you for the year. A fun Saturday afternoon baking 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you! Great acitivity to do with kids!
Lauren Michael Harris says
These tartlets are adorable! I love mini desserts and the fact that you can fill these with any jam you want.
★★★★★
Thanks! Yes, you can fill them with any jam or spread. Very delicious!
Tammy says
These are so delicious. They didn't last long in my house and I love the idea of the strawberry and marmalade suggestion. Perfect pairing!
★★★★★
Good to hear! Thanks for the feedback!