First step is to cut the chilled butter into small cubes.
150 g Unsalted butter
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in your butter cubes and using the tips of your fingers rub the flour and butter together until you create a crumbly texture almost like bread crumbs.
300 g Plain flour
Next add in the salt and 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and give it a quick stir.
¼ Teaspoon Salt, 2 Tablespoons Caster sugar
Make a well in the center of the crumbled mixture and add in the yolk of one egg and add in the water. Using a spatula work the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, keep mixing until it forms a soft dough.
1 Large Egg yolk, 3-4 Tablespoons Iced water
Knead the dough a couple of times and flatten into a disc shape. Cover with clingfilm and chill for about an hour in the refrigerator.
After the dough has been chilled, get it out and set to one side to bring it back down to almost room temperature again.
Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease 2 cupcake tins with a little butter or spray oil
Now divide the dough into two pieces, this makes it easier to roll. Dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with flour.
Roll out the dough and using a cookie cutter start cutting circles. Place a circle of pie dough on each cupcake hole.
Add one teaspoon of jam into the center of each tart in the tins.
24 Teaspoons Strawberry jam
Roll out any left over dough and using a mini heart cookie cutter, cut out little hearts and place one to the center of each jam tart.
Brush the top of each heart and the edge of the tarts with a little milk.
1 Tablespoons Milk
Being careful, sprinkle a little sugar onto each pastry heart trying not to get any onto the jam.
Place the pie into the center of your oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. The pie crust should look golden when its finished cooking.
Once cooked transfer to a cooling rack, serve once the jam tarts are completely cooled.
Notes
Tips and TricksIf your dough seems a little to crumbly when forming the dough ball, add in I little more water 1 tsp at a time. It’s better to do this slowly as it can’t get very sticky very quickly.The longer you leave the dough in the fridge to cool the better the pastry turns out. I find when I've left the dough in the fridge overnight it turns out much nicer and is easier to roll.Make sure that the pastry is at room temperature before rolling, as this prevents cracking.When it comes to rolling out the dough make sure to keep moving it around on the floured surface, this stops it from sticking.