Jam Puff Pastry Tarts

Indulge in these delectable jam puff pastry tarts that are easy to make and simply delicious.

With minimal ingredients, you can whip up a delightful dessert consisting of a puff pastry base topped with your choice of jam, sliced almonds, and light lemon glaze.

Whenever I had leftover puff pastry from the meal, and I don't want it to just sit in the fridge, I usually turn it into a quick and easy dessert.

This, for me at least, has been quite a haphazard affair and I've never really taken note of how much jam I've used, or how much puff pastry, etc. So I decided it was time to figure out exactly how much jam I was actually using.

If I'm more in a baking kind of mood and have jam bumping around the fridge, one of my all-time favorite slices to make is my Jam Slice/Jam Squares.

Why You Will Love These Jam Puff Pastry Tarts

• These jam tarts made with puff pastry are super easy and simple to make. And make for a quick dessert.
• These puff pastry tarts are made with store-bought puff pastry. So there is no need to make the pastry ahead of time!
• This tart combines the buttery flavor of the puff pastry, with the sweet jam, crunchy almond slices, and a tangy lemon glaze.

Ingredients

Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Store bought Puff Pastry - I used 350 grams (12 oz.) of prerolled puff pastry. This recipe is made to use the entire roll of puff pastry to make 10 tarts. Use your favorite puff pastry - for a vegan alternative use a plant-based pastry.

If using the Edmonds puff pastry sheets (in New Zealand) of rolled puff pastry, approximately 2 sheets is equal to a 350-gram roll, but will probably make about 8 tarts. I would divide each sheet into 4.

Egg and water for the pastry egg wash. The egg wash can be replaced with a milk or cream wash instead. A milk or cream wash requires about 2 tablespoons of milk or cream, undiluted.

Jam - here choose a jam of your choice, I personally like strawberry, boysenberry but plum, and apricot also work really well. The choice is yours.

Sliced almonds - this adds a little bit of crunch to these jam tartlets.

Icing sugar ( powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar) - this is used to make a glaze, an optional extra for these jam tarts.

Water & Lemon Juice - to make a tangy lemon glaze, use half lemon juice and half water to make the glaze.

How to Make Jam Puff Pastry Tarts

Step 1 - Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.

Step 2 - Line two large baking trays with baking paper. A half sheet (40cm x 28cm or 16"x11") is the perfect size for a roll of pastry. If using a quarter sheet, the pastry will need to be divided in half for each baking tray.

Step 3 - Crack open an egg, add in a tablespoon of water, and beat until the egg is well mixed. Set aside.

Step 4 -Unroll the puff pastry. Using a ruler and knife or bench scraper, measure and cut out 10cm x 10cm (4" x 4") puff pastry squares.

Step 5 - To shape the pastries, gently fold the pastries from one corner to the other to make a triangle. Using the ruler, measure a border of 1.5cm. Cut from the long side of the triangle up the corner leaving the corner intact.

Step 6 - Gently open the folded over the triangle. Using a form, prick the center square. This will prevent the center from puffing up too much during baking. Brush the entire top of the pastry with the egg mixture.

TIP - The pricking or docking of the center of the pastry is an essential step. This prevents the pastry from puffing up in the center during the baking process.

Step 7 - Place about a tablespoon of jam in the center of the pastry square. Then fold the left cut corner side over to the opposite side and tuck under the right corner while pulling it to the left. Press down gently and brush the edges with the egg wash.

TIP - In other words, you will be pulling each of the cut corner borders to the opposite side, crossing over each other to form a kite-like pastry shape.

How to Prevent the Puff Pastry from Cracking when Rolling it Open

Allow the puff pastry to completely defrost and come to room temperature for a few minutes before attempting to roll it open. If the pastry is frozen at all then it will crack when unrolling it.

Preventing a Soggy Bottom

This tart relies 100% on the baking process to prevent a soggy bottom, but the pastry must be cooked all the way through. A hot preheated oven is key to preventing a soggy bottom, as it not only allows the puff pastry to puff up but allows for a nice bake.

Storage and Freezing

This pastry is best served fairly fresh but will keep in an airtight container for 2 to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat cold pastry, preheat an oven to 180°C/355°F, cover the pastry with foil, and heat for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.