Canadian Butter Tarts

About This Recipe

Butter tarts are a purely Canadian invention, with no direct equivalent in any other cuisine. The first recorded recipe appeared in a Canadian cookbook from 1900. The filling is a simple mixture of butter, sugar, eggs and corn syrup that bakes into a glossy, slightly runny, intensely sweet and caramelised custard. The filling-to-pastry ratio is extreme — most of what you eat is the buttery, gooey inside. Canadians are passionately divided on two questions: raisins or no raisins, and runny or firm filling. This recipe makes the classic version with a lightly set but still gooey centre.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 250 gplain flour
• 125 gcold butter(cubed)
• 1 tbspicing sugar
• 3–4 tbspcold water
• 75 gunsalted butter(room temperature, for filling)
• 165 gbrown sugar(packed)
• 60 mlcorn syrup
• 1 largeegg
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 tspwhite vinegar(balances sweetness)
• 60 graisins(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make pastry

   Pulse flour, butter and icing sugar until breadcrumb-like. Add cold water and pulse until dough just comes together. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Line tins

   Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll pastry to 3mm thickness. Cut 12 circles and press into a muffin tin. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

3. 3

   Make filling

   Whisk together softened butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, vanilla and vinegar until smooth.

4. 4

   Fill and bake

   If using raisins, place a few in each pastry shell. Pour filling into shells, filling only two-thirds — they bubble up. Bake 15–18 minutes until filling is set at the edges but still slightly wobbly in the centre.

   Don't overfill — the butter mixture expands and can bubble over.

5. 5

   Cool carefully

   Cool in tin 10 minutes before carefully removing — the filling is very hot.

Variations

• •

  Add 4–5 pecan halves to each tart instead of raisins for Pecan Butter Tarts.

• •

  Substitute corn syrup with maple syrup and add chopped walnuts for a Walnut & Maple version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. Can be frozen up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions