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Canadian Butter Tarts

Canadian Butter Tarts with a completely homemade pastry and filled with a mouthwatering brown sugar and corn syrup filling. They're sweet and buttery, the pastry is incredibly flaky and every bite is pure, gooey perfection. Make them plain or add some pecans or raisins for a little extra indulgence. You're going to love these whether you're Canadian or not!

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Chilling Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 346 kcal
Course: Dessert , Snacks , Baked Goods
Cuisine: Canadian

Ingredients

Crust
  • 1½ cups pastry flour or all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup shortening cold and cut in cubes
  • ¼ cup butter unsalted, cold and cut in cubes
  • 4-6 tablespoons ice water
Filling
  • ⅓ cup butter melted
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed (light or dark)
  • ½ cup corn syrup light or dark
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup pecans chopped

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Combine ingredients in a food processor. To a food processor add the flour, brown sugar, salt, shortening and butter. Pulse until the pieces of butter are pea size.
  2. Finish the pastry with ice water. Adding 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time continue pulsing until the dough stays together. I usually use about 4 tablespoons of ice water.
  3. Form the dough into a disc and chill. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together until you can form it into a ball. Wrap the ball into plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
  4. Roll the dough and cut into circles. Roll out the dough on a floured surface so that it's about ⅛-inch in thickness. Using a 4-inch cutter cut into circles. Re-roll leftover dough and cut into 4-inch circles. You should end up with 12 circles.
  5. Fit circles into muffins cups. Fit the pastry circles into muffin cups. Place the muffin pan in the refrigerator while making the filling.
  6. Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  7. Make the filling. In a medium size bowl whisk together the butter and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the corn syrup, egg, cream and vanilla extract.
  8. Fill tarts. If adding raisins or pecans, place some at the bottom of each pastry shell, about a teaspoon. Pour in the filling about halfway to ⅔ of the way through each cup. You should have just enough filling to fill all 12 cups.
  9. Bake the tarts. Transfer the muffin pan to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the tarts cool for a few minutes in the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes

  • Don’t overwork the dough. Pulse it in the food processor just until the dough comes together. Once on the counter don’t knead it with your hands for too long, just a couple times until you bring it all together and form a ball or a disk.
  • Don’t skip the chilling part. This is what hardens the butter and shortening in the dough, so when the tarts bake, it will help maintain their structure.
  • I find that the best way to remove the tarts from the pan is to use a knife or a fork to loosen the tarts from the pan. Sometimes if there’s too much filling they could stick a bit at the top, but easy to fix with a sharp knife.
  • These butter tarts will last up to 2 days at room temperature stored in an airtight container, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1tart Calories 346kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 37g (12%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 22g (34%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 42mg (14%) Sodium 119mg (5%) Potassium 146mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 21g (42%) Vitamin A 339IU (7%) Vitamin C 0.4mg (0%) Calcium 27mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 346

% Daily Value*

Serving 1tart
Calories 346kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 37g 12%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 119mg 5%
Potassium 146mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 21g 42%
Vitamin A 339IU 7%
Vitamin C 0.4mg 0%
Calcium 27mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.