CanadaNorth America

Butter Tarts

Name: Butter Tarts
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 250 g All-purpose flour; ½ tsp Table salt; 115 g Unsalted butter, cold, cubed, for the pastry; 60 g Unsalted butter, melted, for the filling; 200 g Light brown sugar, packed; ⅓ cup Pure maple syrup; 1 Eggs (large); 1 tsp Vanilla extract (pure) (optional); ½ cup Raisins (optional)

1 hr 30 minServes 12$36.29

Small pastry shells baked in a muffin tin are filled with a mixture of brown sugar, melted butter, egg, and syrup, which bakes into a gooey filling with a crackly top. Maple syrup is used in place of the corn syrup many recipes call for, so the filling is slightly thinner and tastes of maple. Raisins are optional, as they are in many Canadian homes.

Ingredients

250 gAll-purpose flourBuy 1 bag
½ tspTable saltBuy 1 canister
115 gUnsalted buttercold, cubed, for the pastryBuy 1 package
60 gUnsalted buttermelted, for the filling
200 gLight brown sugarpackedBuy 1 bag
⅓ cupPure maple syrupBuy 1 bottle
1Eggs (large)Buy 1 carton
1 tspVanilla extract (pure) (optional)Buy 1 bottle
½ cupRaisins (optional)Buy 1 bag

Substitution

Pure maple syrup in place of “Corn syrup, 1/3 cup”. Pure maple syrup replaces corn syrup, which is not a canonical ingredient; the filling is less glossy, slightly thinner, and tastes of maple.

Method

Whisk the flour and salt, rub in the cold butter until it looks like coarse crumbs, and stir in 4 to 5 tbsp ice water until the dough holds; flatten, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll the pastry thin, cut 12 rounds about 10 cm across, and press them into a muffin tin.
Whisk the brown sugar, melted butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla if using until smooth.
Scatter a few raisins into each shell if using, then fill each about two-thirds full with the syrup mixture.
Bake until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling, 15 to 18 minutes; do not overbake, or the filling sets firm.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out onto a rack.