Butter Tarts are the Ultimate Canadian treat. A sweet, gooey filling, wrapped with a tender, flaky crust. Perfect for the holidays, or dessert anytime.
When I was growing up, Butter Tarts were always a part of the annual Christmas baking. My mom or grandma would make them every year when the holidays rolled around.
They were always one of the family's favorite treats, and always one of the first to disappear off the dessert tray.
When I lived in Wisconsin, I still loved and made them, mostly at Christmas time, but also sometimes to celebrate a Canadian holiday, like Canada Day. They are Mr. Dreamboat's favorite of all of the Christmas baking that I do.
What are Butter Tarts?
If you're Canadian, you definitely know what Butter Tarts are and there's a good chance you've eaten them at some point. If you're not Canadian, I'm guessing you don't (or at least might now) know what they are.
According to Google, butter tarts are "considered one of Canada's quintessential treats". They are tarts (think mini pies) filled with a sweet, buttery, gooey filling, and often raisins (but Canadians are very much divided on this - see below).
The closest thing in American cuisine to a butter tart that I can think of is pecan pie. But with a higher filling-to-pecan ratio. And no pecans.
How do you make butter tarts?
Butter tarts for me growing up always started out with frozen, store-bought tart shells. In fact, there is nothing I hate making more than pastry dough, so I still prefer to use them.
But unfortunately, they are not available everywhere, so they may not be an option for everyone, and you may have to make the tart shells yourself.
I have included a recipe for pastry dough that has worked well for me, and certainly results in delicious butter tarts, but you can use your favorite pie crust recipe, or use store-bought pie dough (find it in the freezer section, and follow the directions on the package to thaw).
Or if you're in Canada, feel free to use store-bought tart shells (find them in the freezer section of the grocery store). No rolling or cutting are needed - they're completely ready to go.
However, keep in mind that these tart shells are a little bigger than if you were making the tart shells homemade in a muffin tin. If you're using store-bought tart shells, only make 15 tarts, or double the filling recipe to make 30 (this is how big the boxes of shells often are)
Make sure to avoid filling the tart shells too much or too little. I fill mine just above the raisins, maybe 0.5cm (¼" roughly) below the top of the top of the tart shell. This ensures that the filling doesn't overflow while baking, but also that the tarts are adequately filled.
After your tarts cool, you'll be left with flaky and tender crust filled with sticky, gooey filling and plump, juicy raisins. They're the perfect addition to your Christmas baking. Or, pack them up and bring them on a Canada Day picnic.
Butter Tart Ingredients:
The filling is the easy part. The ingredients are pretty basic. You probably already have them all in your pantry right now.
- Raisins (optional, see below)
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Brown sugar (I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work too, with a more pronounced molasses flavor)
- Salt
- Corn syrup (golden syrup will work fine here too)
- Large egg
- Vanilla
What about the raisins?
Ah the raisins. I know not everyone likes raisins in baked goods. I don't really like them myself!
The whole time I was growing up, my mom and grandma knew to make a few butter tarts for me without the raisins. But this recipe has a secret that makes it all okay.
Soak the raisins in water before you add them to the tarts. It makes them plump and juicy and just so good!
So anyway, I'm not going to tell you that making butter tarts without raisins is wrong (but some might), since I ate them that way for years. But I am going to say that you should definitely try soaking them first. You might just change your mind.
It's also true that not all raisins are created equal. Most raisins are just not that great. The Jumbo Flame raisins are an exception. They are big, sweet, and just much better than regular supermarket raisins. I discovered them at Bulk Barn, and I highly recommend them for baking, and just for snacking.
However, if you really don't like raisins, you can simply omit them, or use chopped pecans instead, or even other dried fruit like chopped apricots or dried cranberries.
Want more Canadian Foods?
Butter Tarts Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one butter tart with homemade crust if you're using this recipe to make 18 butter tarts. The regular-sized store-bought tart shells that are commonly available in Canada are a little larger than this (this recipe will only make 15 tarts in this case), so each tart will have more sugar, calories, fat, etc.
I think you can guess from the name that butter tarts aren't exactly a healthy choice. They are high in fat, saturated fat, sugar, and calories. Keep portion sizes small.
Butter Tarts
Equipment
- Food Processor Optional - for making homemade pie crust only
- Muffin Pan Optional - only needed if you're making homemade tart shells
Ingredients
For the Crust (see note)
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter cut into ¼" pieces and chilled
- 6 Tablespoons lard cut into ½" pieces and chilled
- 2 Tablespoons vodka chilled
- 2 Tablespoons ice cold water
- 3 graham wafers (optional - use flour if you don't have any)
For the Tarts
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the Crust
- Process ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon (12 g) sugar, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt together in a food processor to mix. Spread 4 Tablespoons (56 g) butter pieces and 6 Tablespoons (89 g) lard pieces over the flour mixture and process until the fats are incorporated, about 10 seconds.
- Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining ½ cup flour. Pulse until evenly distributed, about 5 pulses.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) vodka and 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) ice cold water over the flour mixture. Stir with a spatula and press together until the dough is one solid mass.
- Turn dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a 4" disc. Wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. Before rolling dough out, let sit on counter to soften, about 10 minutes.
- While dough is softening, break 3 graham wafers into pieces and grind in food processor or coffee grinder. Sprinkle crumbs over work surface (see note).
- Place dough on graham wafer crumbs and roll to about ⅛" thick. Cut into 4" circles with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Push the circles into muffin cups. Form scraps into a ball and re-chill if needed before re-rolling. Cover muffin pans with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
For tarts
- Place ½ cup (73 g) raisins into a bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to soften.
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Place ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high until melted, about 1 minute. Whisk ¼ cup (55 g) packed brown sugar, 1 pinch salt ½ cup (170 g) corn syrup 1 large egg, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla into the butter mixture until uniform.
- Drain the raisins and spread them equally among tart shells. Pour the butter mixture into tart shells until the are covered, about ½ to 1cm (¼"-½") below the top of the pastry. Do not overfill!
- Bake for 15-20 minutes (see note). Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then carefully remove tarts from muffin cups and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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