Butter Tarts
Flaky pastry shells filled with a runny butter, brown sugar and syrup custard — Ontario's most argued-over bake.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 290 kcal
Equipment
- •12-hole muffin tin
- •Round cutter
- •Rolling pin
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 34 g
- protein
- 3 g
- calories
- 290
Instructions
- 1
Roll the pastry thin, cut 12 rounds and press them into a muffin tin. Chill for 20 minutes.
- 2
Beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy, then beat in the syrup.
- 3
Add the eggs one at a time with the vanilla, vinegar and salt. Do not whip air into the mixture.
- 4
Scatter a few raisins into each shell if using, then fill each two-thirds full.
- 5
Bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is puffed but still wobbling at the centre.
- 6
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out carefully — the filling sets as it cools.
Chef's tips
For runny tarts, pull them the moment the centres still shimmer; another three minutes gives the set, sliceable version.
Ingredient substitutions
- golden syrup → maple syrup for a distinctly Ontario maple butter tart
- raisins → chopped pecans or walnuts, or leave them out
Storage
Keep in an airtight tin for 3 days, or freeze for 2 months.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overfilling the shells so the filling boils over and welds them to the tin
- •Overbaking, which turns the filling grainy
Serving suggestions
Cooked Butter Tarts?
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