Tiny tarts with a raisin filling. Banbury Tarts are a traditional treat for tea time in some areas of Britain! Canadians may recognize these as Butter Tarts, although these are smaller. There are many regional variations of this recipe, but this recipe uses raisins and an easy cream cheese dough. You can also use your favorite pie crust recipe and cut it into rounds for each tart.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup sifted flour
- For the filling:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
- Make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 325F. Combine cheese, 1/2 cup butter & flour. Mix thoroughly and chill, covered, 1 hour. Divide into 24 small balls and press into sides and bottom of 2 ungreased miniature muffin pans.
- Make the filling:
- Put plump raisins in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cream room temperature butter and gradually add sugar. Beat until light. Add beaten egg. Stir in raisins and lemon juice.
- Assemble and bake tarts:
- Fill very small pastry-lined tart tins with a teaspoon of the mixture (about 1/3 full). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.