best raisin currant butter tarts

Ingredients

• Servings: 36
• pastry:
• 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups shortening
• 3/4 cup ice water, or as needed
• cooking spray
• filling:
• 5 cups brown sugar
• 1 2/3 cups butter, softened
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups raisins
• 1 1/4 cups dried currants

Recipe

Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 10 mins


• 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.
• preheat oven to 450 degrees f (230 degrees c). spray 36 muffin cups with cooking spray.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.