Banbury Tea Tarts

This wonderful Banbury Tea Tart recipe was shared with me by my husband's aunt, Lila Scheer of Vancouver, WA. Lila wrote a recipe column for seven years for the Chinook Observer published in Long Beach, WA. Lila says, "This is an authentic English recipe that was given to me by a former resident of the Peninsula. They are special to me, as they represent my English ancestry."

These tarts are named for Banbury, England. They are excellent for a tea party or anytime you want an excellent and simple-to-make dessert!

Check out more delicious Pie Recipes and Afternoon Tea & High Tea Recipes.

Banbury Tea Tarts

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup dried currants
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Pastry for 9-inch one crust pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly. Add eggs, current, lemon zest, and lemon juice, stirring to mix well; set aside.

Prepare pie pastry. Roll out the pastry dough 1/8-inch thick. Tarts may be made any size. for conventional muffin pans, cut out circles with a tuna can which has both ends cut of. For miniature muffing pans, use a tomato paste can to cut out the rounds. Place pastry in the muffin pans, smoothing the dough so it has no bumps.

Stir the filling mixture. Using a teaspoon, fill the tarts 2/3 full. NOTE: Don't let the filling spill onto the pan, as it will make the tarts hard to remove.

Bake the miniature tarts approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until the pastry is a light brown. Remove from oven, remove from the muffin pans, and let cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: Because these tarts are so easy to make, I usually double the recipe and make about 9 dozen tiny tarts. They freeze beautifully, between plastic wrap. These Banbury Tea Tarts are at their best when served slightly warmed, either in a microwave or regular oven.

Serve with tea, of course!