The Great Canadian Butter Tart

Today, the popularity of the butter tart has never been greater. As a kid growing up in Canada, I was introduced to the wonder of butter tarts at a very early age. There is even an annual “Butter Tart Festival” in Midland, Ontario – the small town that I grew up in.

This was actually one of my Great Grandmother’s specialties, and I can still taste the gooey, flaky goodness of her recipe. Although I’ve been making butters tarts for many years now I’ve never seemed to find a recipe that checked all the boxes. However, thanks to some patience and repeated effort I now have one that I’m 100% happy with. This one is perfectly combination of sweetness and texture, with just the right hint of maple to make it a truly Canadian dessert. Enjoy!

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Prep Time 35

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1

Servings: 12

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Calories: 355

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salted butter cubed + chilled
1/2 cup shortening cubed + chilled
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
8 tbsp cold water

Filling

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup golden corn syrup
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp Kosher salt

Equipment

food processor
12-cup muffin tin
Rolling Pin
3.5-inch round pastry cutter
large mixing bowl
whisk
measuring cups and spoons

Method

Mise en Place

Assemble equipment. Cube chilled butter and shortening, melt butter for filling, measure and separate all ingredients.

Cooking + Assembly

Place all crust ingredients in a food processor, reserving the cold water. Pulse the mixture a few times until well combined, then slowly begin to add the water to form a rough dough.
Remove the dough mixture and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Work the dough gently (do not knead it) until a cohesive dough is formed, adding small amounts of extra water if needed.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to an even thickness of approximately 1/4 inch. Use a round pastry cutter to cut the dough into 12 circles, then press them into the muffin tin. Place the entire baking tin in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while the filling is being prepared.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place all of the filling ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
Remove the chilled dough from the freezer and fill to 2/3 with the tart mixture. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire baking rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

I’ve used all-purpose flour here, but you can also use pastry flour for the crust. Be careful not to overfill the tart shells.
Advanced warning that the filling tends to bubble up while cooking which will cause a sticky mess and make it difficult to remove the butter tarts from the muffin tin. Make sure not to overfill.
Adding an additional egg will result in a less gooey filling.

The Great Canadian Butter Tart