Grandma’s Irresistible Butter Tarts: A Mouth-Water

1. Make pastry: Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut lard into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly. Make a well in the center; place 1 beaten egg into the well. Pour in ice-cold water and vinegar; stir with a wooden spoon until dough comes together. Divide dough into 2 balls; wrap each in waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. Make filling: Beat together brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in raisins and vanilla until incorporated. Set aside.

4. Roll out 1 ball of chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness; reserve remaining dough for another use. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut dough into circles large enough to fit into the bottom and partway up the sides of the wells of a muffin tin. Press dough circles lightly into the muffin tin to form tart shells. Fill each shell 3/4 full with raisin filling.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is bubbly and pastry is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Tips

If using purchased tart shells, partially pre-bake them according to package directions.

Editor’s Note:

The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the dough ingredients. The actual amount of the dough consumed will be less, as half the dough is reserved to use later.