Butter tarts are thee Canadian dessert! I have been looking for a really good recipe for this tart for so long, I finally found it! The filling is amazing and the crust is tender and light. My kids didn’t believe I made them…they were that good. You can add pecans, walnuts, raisins or chocolate or leave them plain. I made half of them with raisins and the other half with pecans, both our favourites.
Store bought butter tarts are okay, but the crust is thick and heavy, the filling is usually the same but the crust is where it’s at! This homemade version is so wonderful, the crust just melts in your mouth. I added the yogurt to the recipe as the original asked for just sour cream. I did this for two reasons, firstly because I love yogurt and I always have at home, and secondly I don’t really like sour cream on it’s own. The only reason I didn’t only use yogurt is because I was afraid it would be sour.
Most butter tart recipes call for corn syrup, this one asks for Canadian maple syrup which makes it so much better! I had some maple syrup that my friend shared with me from her own maple trees…I can’t even describe to you how truly amazing this syrup is…nothing like pure maple syrup, so naturally delicious!
My adaptation from Canadian Living Magazine
What you will need:
For filling:
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
6 and 1/4 tbsp unsalted butter – melted
2 eggs
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
handful of raisins and or pecans
For pastry: - 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp cup cold butter
4 tbsp shortening
2 tbsp ice cold water
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp yogurt
In a mixing bowl, whisk flour and salt, using a pastry cutter or your hands cut butter and shortening in the flour until fine and crumbly. Whisk water with sour cream and yogurt. Combine with the flour and form into dough, it will be very soft. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface roll out dough and cut into 4 inch rounds, cut into 12 circles. Fit into a 12 muffin pan, refrigerate for 30 mins.
Meanwhile prepare the filling in a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, eggs, vinegar and salt. Divide and add raisins in half and pecans in the other half of filling.
Pour filling in each pie shell.
Bake at 350 until pastry is golden, 20 -25 minutes. Allow tarts too cool in pan for 20 minutes.
We drove up to Northern part of Ontario to visit my uncle, while driving around and passing by town to the next town for hours…one thing is for sure Canadians love their butter tarts! Butter tarts signs were up on all the little side shops, and there’s even butter tart fairs…which we happen to miss! We really enjoyed our trip up north, coming from Windsor, the most southern part of Ontario, we really don’t get to see all the beauty our country beholds. Truly Canada is a beautiful country, with friendly people all around.
I forgot all the desserts when I bite into this heavenly dessert. The moment I put it in my mouth I was like WOW am I in Heaven, it was out of this world thing, really. I can not explain the taste in words or I don't have the words to explain the taste I experienced. I could have helped you clean the dish but you know it's good to have some control, LOL. YUMMY sweet little buttery packages!