Best Raisin Currant Butter Tarts

This recipe makes a big batch of the biggest, best raisin and currant-filled butter tarts. Homemade pastry, fitted into muffin pans, forms the tart shells.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 404 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups shortening
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 eggs, beaten
• cooking spray
• 5 cups brown sugar
• 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 0.66666668653488 cup milk
• 1.25 cups raisins
• 5.25 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.75 cup ice water, or as needed
• 1.6666667461395 cups butter, softened
• 1.25 cups dried currants

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl; cut in the shortening with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the flour mixture is moistened. When you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spray 36 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Step 3

Roll pastry out 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4-inch rounds; press rounds into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups to make tart shells.

Step 4

Beat brown sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla extract just until combined. Stir raisins and currants into butter mixture; fill tart shells with mixture 2/3-full.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes; leaving oven closed, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake until filling is bubbly and pastry is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.