Description
Classic Canadian Butter Tarts featuring a flaky pastry crust filled with a rich, gooey mixture of butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup, optionally studded with raisins or nuts. This recipe results in a perfect balance of sweet and buttery flavors with a slightly crisp edge and a luscious, caramelized filling.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry Dough
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.25 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 0.5 cup corn syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 cup raisins or chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to ensure it reaches the optimal baking temperature before assembling the tarts.
- Make Pastry Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, ensuring a flaky crust.
- Add Water: Gradually add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently until a dough forms that holds together without being sticky.
- Chill Dough: Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make it easier to roll out and help maintain flakiness.
- Prepare Filling: In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and fully integrated for a rich filling.
- Roll Dough: On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thickness and cut out circles that fit your muffin tin cups perfectly.
- Form Shells: Press each dough circle into the muffin tin cups, shaping them gently to form individual tart shells.
- Add Optional Ingredients: If desired, sprinkle a few raisins or chopped nuts into the bottom of each pastry shell for added texture and flavor.
- Fill Shells: Carefully pour the prepared filling into each shell, filling to just below the edge to prevent overflow during baking.
- Bake: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the crust edges turn golden brown.
- Cool: Remove the tarts from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, allowing the filling to set.
Notes
- Use cold butter for the pastry to ensure a tender and flaky crust.
- Chilling the dough before rolling helps prevent shrinking during baking.
- Adjust baking time slightly if using larger or smaller muffin tins.
- For a nut-free version, omit nuts entirely or substitute with raisins only.
- Store butter tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Canadian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tart (approx. 80g)
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 160 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
Keywords: butter tarts, Canadian dessert, classic butter tarts, flaky pastry, sweet tarts
