Ingredients: 

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 Tbs. chilled butter

Cold water

Filling:

3 cups whole frozen blackberries – or 1½ cup fresh

1 Tbs. cornstarch

1 Tbs. water

1/3 cup sugar

 

Step 1:  Make dough.

Use a pastry cutter to combine butter into flour until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Add cold water in a little at a time and knead until a pie crust forms.

Use your fingers to push pie dough evenly into a buttered and floured muffin tin (3-in. diameter and 1-in. deep).

Prick each tart crust with a fork to allow the steam to pass through.

Bake at 350F until the crust is cooked, about 15 minutes.

Step 2:  Make Filling.

If you are using frozen blackberries, thaw them. (The 3 cups frozen become 1½ cups when thawed. Save the juice.)

Crush half the blackberries in a saucepan and add all the juice that drained out (about ¼ cup juice) and the sugar.

Cook on high heat while stirring for about 5 minutes. The mixture should thicken.

In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water until there are no clumps and add to saucepan.

Cook over high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens to a jam consistency. If needed, add a little more cornstarch. Add in the remaining whole blackberries. Remove from heat.

Step 3:  Assemble.

Pour the blackberry filling into the cooled baked muffin tin and refrigerate until firm, about 1 ½ hrs. Makes 6 tarts.