Maple Pecan Tarts
Maple Pecan Tarts are similar to Canadian Butter Tarts, but with the delicious flavors of pure maple syrup and crunchy pecans.
Like in many other Canadian households, Butter Tarts have been a part of my family’s Christmas for as long as I can remember. While Butter Tarts aren’t strictly just for the holidays, I don’t really make them at other times of the year. And they feel so much more special that way.
However, this year I wanted to change things up a little bit. Let’s face it – not everyone likes raisins in their Butter Tarts. In fact, I didn’t either, until fairly recently. While you can simply make them without additions, there are lots of great raisin substitutions, one of which is nuts. I decided to use pecans.
I also decided to add a little maple flavor. I love maple syrup so much – you can often always find me licking excess maple syrup right off my plate anytime we eat pancakes or waffles at home.
The result is Maple Pecan Tarts – these decadent little mini-pies will be the perfect addition to your annual holiday sweets. Keep reading to learn how to make them.
How to Make Maple Pecan Tarts
When I lived in the US, I used to dread making butter tarts because store-bought tart shells were not available, and I have a strong dislike for making pastry dough.
Here in Canada, however, frozen tart shells (or I guess they’re technically “tartlet” shells, as they’re individual-sized) are available in every grocery store. This makes making these (and any other) tarts so much easier. All you need to do is stir together the filling ingredients and fill the tarts.
If you don’t have access to pre-made tart shells, you’ll have to do a bit more work – you’ll need to make (or buy) pie dough, roll it out, and cut it into circles. Then simply push those circles into a muffin pan to form small pastry shells.
Before starting to make the filling, I recommend toasting the pecans. I prefer to do this in a skillet, because it’s easier for me to keep an eye on them that way (nuts can go from golden brown to burned very quickly). Simply place the nuts in a medium skillet over medium heat in a single layer. Cook, stirring or tossing the skillet often, until the nuts become fragrant and golden brown. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool.
To make the filling, start by melting the butter. I prefer to do this in a small saucepan to prevent it from exploding in the microwave. Once the butter is melted, remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup, egg, brown sugar, and salt until uniform.
If using store-bought tart shells, place them onto a baking sheet. Distribute the toasted pecans evenly among the tart shells, simply placing them into the bottom of the shells. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the pecans, being sure that each tart gets an equal amount of filling. I usually start by just covering the pecans, then adding more to each tart shell. Don’t fill the shells all the way to the top, or the filling will overflow during cooking.
Bake the tarts for 12-15 minutes, until the filling is bubbling. Remove the tarts at 12 minutes for runny tarts, or 15 minutes for fully set tarts. Cool completely before serving.
Store the tarts in an airtight container or zipper bag, with parchment between any layers at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for several weeks. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Maple Pecan Tarts Ingredients
- Coarsely chopped pecans or pecan halves.
- Unsalted butter – You can also use a dairy-free butter alternative to make these tarts dairy-free.
- Pure maple syrup – Don’t use any other alternatives (like pancake syrup) here.
- Large egg
- Brown sugar – I usually use light brown sugar to let the maple flavor shine a little more, but dark brown sugar will work too.
- Salt
- Store-bought tart shells or homemade/store-bought pie dough – Store-bought tart shells are usually found in the freezer with other pastry products, like pie crusts. They are readily available in Canada, especially during the holidays. However, when I lived in the US, they didn’t seem to exist. I don’t know if this is the same everywhere in the US, or just where I lived in the Midwest. In this case, you’ll have to roll and cut out your own tart shells from store-bought or homemade pie dough.
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Maple Pecan Tarts Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one tart, using a generic store-bought tart shell; if you use the recipe to make 15 tarts. The nutrition information of these tarts may vary slightly if you use a different brand of tart shell, or if you use homemade pastry.
In general, homemade pastry tarts will be slightly smaller, which will result in all of the nutrition information numbers being lower.
To make these tarts dairy-free, replace the butter with a dairy-free butter alternative.
To make these tarts gluten-free, use store-bought or homemade pie crust.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Roll the pie dough out about â…›" thick. Use a cookie/biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut the pastry into about 18 4-inch circles. Push the circles into the cups of two 12-cup muffin pans (or one 12-cup and one 6-cup pan, or make the tarts in two separate batches). Cover the muffin pan with plastic wrap or a clean, damp dish towel and refrigerate until ready to fill.
- Move an oven rack to the middle position, and heat the oven to 400°F. Note that if you plan to cook two muffin pans at once, you can use the upper middle and lower middle positions.
- Place 1 cup (109 g) coarsely chopped pecans in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the pecans, stirring often, until fragrant and golden brown. Make sure to keep an eye on them to prevent burning. Transfer the pecans to a heat-proof plate or bowl to cool.
- Place ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in ½ cup (161 g) pure maple syrup, 1 large egg, ¼ cup (55 g) packed brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) salt until uniform.
- If using store-bought tart shells, set 15 of them onto a baking sheet. Distribute the toasted pecans evenly among the tart shells, placing them into the bottoms of the shells.
- Pour the maple syrup mixture into the tart shells, making sure to distribute the mixture evenly. It's ok if the mixture doesn't reach the top of the tart shells, as they can overflow during baking if they are overfilled. Place the baking sheet/muffin pan(s) onto the middle (or upper-middle and lower-middle) rack(s). Bake for 12 minutes for homemade tart shells and/or runnier tarts, or up to 15 minutes for store-bought tart shells with fully set filling. Cool tarts completely before serving.
- Store the tarts in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for several weeks. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
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