Gramma’s Butter Tarts

Ingredients

• Pastry:
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound lard (such as Tenderflake)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 11 tablespoons ice cold water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• Butter Tart Filling:
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup raisins, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl; cut lard into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly. Make a well in the flour mixture and place 1 beaten egg into the well.

Pour ice cold water and vinegar into flour mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Divide dough into two balls; wrap dough in waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Beat brown sugar and butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; beat in 2 eggs one at a time. Stir raisins and vanilla extract into butter mixture.

Roll out one ball of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness; reserve remaining dough for another use. Cut dough into circles large enough to fit into the bottom and partway up sides of the wells of a muffin tin using a round biscuit cutter. Press dough circles lightly into muffin tin to form tart shells; fill each shell 3/4 full with raisin mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven until filling is bubbly and pastry is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.