In the Kitchen with Duncan Hines-- Taffy Tarts

These are really good! I'm making
them for my Literary League program
on Duncan Hines. And, of course I
had to taste one or two or . . . just
to make sure they were edible

     Even Duncan Hines contributed a few of his favorite recipes to his original 1939 edition of Adventures in Good Eating and The Art of Carving in the Home, including the one for Taffy Tarts. As I have been preparing a literary program on The Man Behind the Cake Mix, I’ve discovered an array of interesting tidbits about him. Here are just a few:

·      Favorite saying in reference to a really good restaurant, “it makes a man wish for hollow legs.”

·      He was extremely honest and often said, “One can easily earn another dollar, but if one loses his reputation, an opportunity may never again present itself to earn it back.” 

·      Motto – “Have what you want, but want what you have.”

·      His persona was acknowledged in Guys and Dolls in the song “If I Were a Bell.”

·      He even had a horse race named after him – the Omaha Duncan Hines’ purse.

     Duncan lists the yield as eight tarts (he used muffin cups); I used mini tart pan, 1 ¾” diameter; there was enough filling to fill 40 of the mini tarts. I added a dollop of whipped cream to each right before serving.

Taffy Tarts     Makes 8 tarts

Pie pastry—make your favorite recipe

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 egg

½ cup currants

3 tablespoons evaporated milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1.     Fit pasty into greased muffin tins.

I used mini tart pans, 1 3/r" diameter; they are sitting on a rimmed cookie sheet. 

2.     Cream butter, add sugar and blend well. Beat egg slightly and stir in.

3.     Add milk, currants and vanilla. Pour into pastry lined tins and bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes. (I baked the small tarts for just 15 to 20 minutes.

Filled tarts are ready to go into the oven.

Here they are — cooling on a rack.

Recipe #580 in Adventures in Good Eating and The Art of Carving in the Home..

Other Duncan Hines recipes included on our blog:
* Betty Cass' Brown Sugar Cookies    * Chocolate Upside Down Cake      * Date & Nut Cakes     * Fudge Squares    *Hot Toasted Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres (or Sandwiches)    *Nut Macaroons