Puff Pastry Jam Tarts are made with only a few ingredients including a store-bought puff pastry, your choice of fruit jam, egg wash for brushing, and coarse sugar for a beautiful and crunchy finish. They're baked until golden and puffy, revealing their delicious flaky layers. Serve them as a dessert for gatherings and holidays, and leave your guests thinking you're a culinary genius.
Puff Pastry Jam Tarts are a spinoff of Jam Tarts, a well-known British treat. Jam tarts are made with shortcrust (a mixture of flour, butter, and water). They're usually enjoyed for breakfast or tea time.
As delicious as the originals may be, I'm always partial to using store-bought pastry dough. I love the simplicity and the light and flaky layers of a puff pastry.
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❤️Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Quick and easy: Don't worry about making your own tart from scratch. Store-bought puff pastries are a super quick and easy way to simplify homemade jam tarts.
- Delicious and elegant: Maybe it's because I'm American and Jam tarts aren't as common, but I think these puff pastry jam tarts look so fancy and like they were made by a pastry chef. Not only do they look impressive for how simple they are, they're absolutely delicious! They kind of remind me of the American Toaster Strudel without the icing. Although you can certainly make one yourself with 2 ingredients: powdered sugar and non-dairy milk.
- Kid-friendly/family-friendly: No matter who you serve these to, they will quickly disappear!
📝Ingredient Notes
- Puff pastry: Make sure to check the ingredient list and buy one that's dairy-free. I like the brands Jus-Rol and Pepperidge Farm. Some puff pastries come frozen and will need to be thawed before preparing.
- Jam: Be sure to use jam and not jelly. Jam is made from crushed fruit. So it's thicker and holds its shape more. This works much better than jelly since it will be baked in the oven.
- Egg: The egg is beaten and then brushed on the pastry just before baking. It makes the pastry have this beautiful golden color.
- Sugar: I use Turbinado sugar to sprinkle over the border of the pastries. It's a coarse sugar so it won't dissolve once it's baked, and it leaves behind a delicious crunchy texture.
🍓Substitutions/ Variations
- Jam: The options here are many. I like to use a mixed berry jam, but other delicious choices would be strawberry, blueberry, peach, and raspberry!
- Egg: If you can't use eggs, try brushing the pastry with melted non-dairy butter, non-dairy milk, or even pure maple syrup.
- Sugar: While I use Turbinado sugar, coarse raw sugar will work too, or even regular granulated sugar. This ingredient isn't even totally necessary, but it does look pretty and gives the pastry an extra sweet crunch.
- Icing: Instead of using sugar, you can make an icing using powdered sugar and non-dairy milk. Drizzle it over the tart once it comes out of the oven.
- Powdered sugar: Skip the sugar or icing option and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Once they come out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle.
- Sliced almonds: Sprinkling sliced almonds on these pastry tarts before baking adds another delicious crunch!
🥣Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Basting brush
🔪How to Make a Puff Pastry Jam Tart
- Be sure the puff pastry is thawed and chilled before preparing. Unfold the pastry and slice it into 9 even squares.
2. Use a knife to score a smaller square inside each square you just made. Make sure you don't cut all the way through when scoring.
3. Mix the egg and brush it along the outer border of the pastry.
4. Place 1 teaspoon of jam inside each square, and liberally sprinkle the border with turbinado sugar. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes until the pastry is a golden color. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. You can optionally sift powdered sugar over them before serving. Also, if any jam runs out while baking, just top it with more once finished in the oven.
🧊Storing
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Or you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat the chilled puff pastry tarts on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until warm.
Freezing: Let the puff pastry tart come to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or ziplock. Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes, or until warm.
✅Pro Tips
- Thaw the puff pastry if it comes frozen: Thaw it on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Don't let the pastry sit out for too long before baking: Leaving the pastry to sit at room temperature for too long can cause it to not rise as well in the oven. You still want the pastry to be chilled when working with it.
- Don't add too much jam: Using too much jam will cause it to overflow in the oven. Only add 1 teaspoon of jam and spread it in the center, creating at least ½ inch border.
- Score it well but don't slice completely through the pastry: Scoring the pastry well helps the border puff up and not the middle part with the jam. If you don't cut deep enough, it might cause the middle to puff up too and the jam will run out. But cutting too deep will separate the center and cause jam to run out the bottom.
🥐What to Serve with Puff Pastry Jam Tarts
- Coffee
- Hot tea
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Vanilla Matcha Latte
- Hot Cocoa
- Rose Latte
⁉️Frequently Asked Question
No. The puff pastry is not gluten-free, but you can try making your own with this recipe here.
Yes. These can be made and stored at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Just be sure to let them cool before storing them in an airtight container. You can warm them up in the oven before serving. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 5 minutes.
Allow the oven to fully preheat before baking them. This allows the puff pastry to rise and crisp up. Also, work with a chilled pastry dough, and don't overfill them with jam. Too much moisture can leave your pastry soggy. Lastly, let the pastries cool on a wire rack after baking. This prevents steam from getting trapped which can cause the pastries to get soggy.
Jam is made with crushed fruit and jelly is made with fruit juice. Jam is thicker and holds it shape better, while jelly is firmer, uniform in consistency, more translucent, and spreads more easily than jam.
Many store-bought puff pastries are dairy-free so they have a longer shelf life. Be sure to check the ingredient list before picking one up at the store, though. The dairy-free brands I like are Jus-Rol and Pepperidge Farm.
⭐️Before you go! If you enjoyed this recipe for Puff Pastry Jam Tarts, leave a review and share it with me! I love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Puff Pastry Jam Tarts
Equipment
- Cooling rack
- Basting brush
- Baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- ¼ cup jam 1 teaspoon per square
- 1 egg
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
- powdered sugar for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Be sure the puff pastry is thawed and chilled before preparing. Unfold the pastry and slice it into 9 even squares.
- Use a knife to score a smaller square inside each square you just made. Make sure you don't cut all the way through when scoring.
- Mix the egg and brush it along the outer border of the pastry.
- Place 1 teaspoon of jam inside each square, and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar over the egg wash.
- Bake for 13 to 14 minutes until the pastry is a golden color. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. You can optionally sift powdered sugar over them before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- If any jam runs out while baking, just top it with more once finished in the oven.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Or you can store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Note: The nutrition label is only an estimate. Amounts may vary.
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