Best Raisin Currant Butter Tarts

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

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.