These are so much better than the one that come in a box.
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter or margarine
2 eggs but you will use them seperatly
2 tablespoons milk
one egg is use for brushing on top of pastry before cooking
Filling
3/4 cup or 8 ounces jam any flavor you like
1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon water
Mix the water and cornstarch first then add jam in a saucepan and whisk together. Turn on the heat and bring mixture to a low boil and simmer for two minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you make the dough.
The Dough
Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers until pea sized lumps of butter are throughout the flour. The flour should hold together when squeezed.
Whisk the ONE egg and milk together and then work that into the flour butter salt mixture. You will lightly knead the dough mixture at this point.
Divide the dough in to three equal portions and put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. I will give directions for one piece of dough, go through these steps then remove the next piece of dough, do that one then the remaining dough. Remove one of the pieces of dough from the refrigerator after 10 minutes and place the dough on a lightly floured surface. I use waxed paper that I lightly flour to roll out the dough on. If you do not have wax paper you can just use a floured surface. Press and roll out the dough into a rectangle shape the size of a printing paper or notebook paper. Cut the dough to make six pieces of of each section.
Beat the other egg now and brush inside edge of 3 pieces (like you are making a picture frame with egg wash). This will be the bottom inside of the pastry. The egg is to make the pastry stick together like glue.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the jam mixture in the middle of that pastry that has the egg wash. Do not spread it out. Remove a piece that does not have egg wash and place on top to match and press around the edges with a fork to seal together. Then slightly pat the top to squeeze the jam around but not out of the edges. This all sounds harder than it really is. After the first time making them you will know what to do. Place each finished tart on your baking sheet pan. Now you get the second piece of dough from the refrigerator and do the same. Before you remove the last piece of dough, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then remove the last piece of dough and do the same. Now take your fork or a toothpick and gently prick the tops but dont prick all the way to the second piece, just the top of the dough just to the filling.
When the oven is preheated, Place in the oven. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
When cooled wrap in foil.
I received an email from one of my visitors with a tip.
Amber said she had a problem squaring up her pastries so she cut out her pastry with the large end of a glass and made them round. She reduced the jam to a teaspoon since the toaster pastry was smaller. Thank you Amber for that tip.
This brings up a point. I have a tendency to do things the old fashioned way since I am older but you do whatever makes it easier or right for you and for the time that you have to spend on what you are doing. Grandma Donna
