Description
Classic Canadian Butter Tarts featuring a flaky, buttery pastry filled with a sweet, gooey mixture of brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and vanilla, studded with golden raisins and chopped pecans. Perfectly caramelized and baked to golden perfection, these tarts make a delightful treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup salted butter, cold and cubed
- ¼ cup shortening, cold and cubed
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Ice water, as needed (about 4-6 tablespoons)
Filling
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 400°F (204°C) to prepare for baking the tarts.
- Make the Pastry Shells – Cube: Cube the cold butter and shortening for your pastry dough to allow easy incorporation into the dry ingredients.
- Make the Pastry Shells – Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cubed butter, cubed shortening, light brown sugar, and salt.
- Make the Pastry Shells – Cut in Butter and Shortening: Using a pastry cutter, forks, or your fingers, cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it looks like pea-sized crumbs.
- Make the Pastry Shells – Add Liquids: Stir in the apple cider vinegar and 4 tablespoons of ice water. Add more ice water one tablespoon at a time as needed until the dough just comes together.
- Make the Pastry Shells – Chill Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to firm up.
- Make the Filling: While the dough chills, combine light brown sugar, light corn syrup, whole egg, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Mix well until combined.
- Add Melted Butter to Filling: Stir in the melted butter until the filling is smooth. Set this mixture aside.
- Roll Dough: Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap, and roll it out on a clean surface to approximately ¼ inch thick.
- Cut Dough Rounds: Use a round cookie cutter about ½ to 1 inch larger than your tart pan cavities, cut out dough rounds. Re-roll scraps to cut more rounds until all dough is used.
- Press Dough into Tart Pans: Place each dough round into the tart pan cavities, gently pressing dough into sides and bottom to form shells.
- Add Raisins and Pecans: Sprinkle a few golden raisins and chopped pecans into the bottom of each tart shell for texture and flavor.
- Fill Tarts: Spoon the filling over the raisins and pecans, filling each tart about ¾ full to allow room for bubbling during baking.
- Bake: Place the tarts on a lower oven rack and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops are caramelized and pastry edges start to turn golden.
- Cool: Remove tarts from the oven and let them cool completely before carefully removing them from the pan to ensure the filling sets properly.
Notes
- Keep the butter and shortening cold to achieve a flaky crust.
- Do not overfill the tart shells to prevent overflow during baking.
- Cooling the tarts fully helps the filling to set and prevents the tarts from falling apart when removed from the pan.
- For variation, you can substitute pecans for walnuts or omit nuts for a nut-free version.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Canadian
