Indulge in the delectable goodness of Colleen's butter tarts, a cherished Canadian treat that embodies the perfect balance of flavors and textures. These bite-sized pastries feature a flaky, buttery crust that crumbles at the first bite, enveloping a velvety smooth filling made from a harmonious blend of butter, sugar, eggs, and raisins. Colleen's butter tarts come in three enticing variations: the classic, the walnut, and the pecan. The classic butter tart is a timeless delight, featuring a generous filling studded with plump, juicy raisins that burst with sweetness. The walnut butter tart elevates the experience with the addition of crunchy walnuts, adding a delightful textural contrast to the creamy filling. Lastly, the pecan butter tart takes indulgence to new heights with the inclusion of caramelized pecans, offering a symphony of sweet, nutty flavors in every bite. Whichever variation you choose, Colleen's butter tarts promise to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
BUTTER TARTS
There may be no more perfectly satisfying treat than a Canadian butter tart. It is small and sweet, bracingly so, with hints of butterscotch and caramel. And each bite delivers three textures: flaky crust, chewy top, gooey center. While its exact origins may never be found, the tart became popular in Ontario in the early 20th century and spread across Canada thanks to its inclusion in the 1913 "Five Roses Cook Book." Today there are numerous variations. Runny or firm? Raisins or plain? This recipe can be adapted to please all partisans.
Provided by Sara Bonisteel
Categories easy, snack, pies and tarts, dessert
Time 45m
Yield 1 dozen
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Make the pastry: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, rub butter or lard into flour until mixture is in pea-size pieces.
- In a small bowl, mix water, egg yolk and vinegar until well combined. Add liquid to the flour mixture, using a fork to combine. Add 1 tablespoon more water if it looks dry.
- Knead dough several times by hand to bring it together and shape into a flat square. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, roll out the dough into a 16-inch-by-12-inch (40.5 centimeters by 30.5 centimeters) rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch (3 to 6 millimeters) thick. Flour the work surface and rolling pin as you work with the dough.
- Use a circular 4-inch (10 centimeter) cookie cutter (or a clean 28-ounce/496 milliliter can) to cut 12 pieces. Reroll dough if needed to cut more circles, but try to cut as many pieces on the first pass. With your fingertips, press each circle into the cup of a standard muffin tin, so that the edge of the dough is flush with the pan. Refrigerate while while you make the filling.
- In a bowl, cover raisins with hot tap water to plump. Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Make the filling: In a bowl, mix brown sugar and salt, and then beat the butter into the sugar by hand until smooth. Add vanilla and egg and mix until combined. Do not use an electric mixer; it will add too much air to the filling.
- Drain the raisins and place seven or eight raisins in each chilled tart shell.
- Divide the filling evenly among the tart shells, filling each one about halfway. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake 13 to 15 minutes for a runnier tart and 17 to 19 minutes for a firmer one.
- A few minutes after removing the tarts from the oven, run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of each tart to loosen. Let cool completely in the tin. To remove, run a butter knife or offset spatula around and under each tart to pop it out of the tin.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 177, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 12 grams, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 100 milligrams, Sugar 18 grams, TransFat 0 grams
CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS
This recipe is adapted by Valerie Hatfield-Ringrose from the best of several recipes, plus her own additions. It has been made and perfected many times over the years. The tarts are the classic runny type, one of the few true Canadian concoctions.
Provided by Valerie Hatfield-Ringrose
Categories Desserts Pies Tarts Butter Tart Recipes
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Fill a cup with ice and water. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening to make pea-size pieces. Add the tablespoons of ice water from the cup until dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball. The dough is now complete. Put it into a plastic bag or wrap it up and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Cut the shells using a large glass or your smallest pot. You should have about 12 shells when finished. Put these shells into a greased muffin or tart pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
- Put walnuts and coconut on baking pan and roast for 5-10 minutes, until brown. Remove from oven and set temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Fill the bottom of each tart shell with about 10 raisins each.
- Whisk together sugar, egg, butter, vanilla and hot water. Add coconut and walnuts. Pour mixture into tart shells, filling 2/3 full and no more.
- Bake in 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before attempting to remove. Makes 12 tarts.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 371.2 calories, Carbohydrate 41 g, Cholesterol 16.8 mg, Fat 22.3 g, Fiber 1.4 g, Protein 3.7 g, SaturatedFat 5.9 g, Sodium 121.5 mg, Sugar 22.7 g
BUTTER TARTS
Old family recipe from my daughter-in-laws family in southern Mississippi. It is very good.
Provided by Barbara
Categories Desserts Cookies International Cookie Recipes American Cookie Recipes
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
- Cream the butter, sugar and eggs well. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Pour batter into tart shells, no more than half full. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Watch carefully!!--they'll burn quickly. Filling will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or so. Liquid coffee creamer can be used for cream. Use any good pie pastry for shells.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 641.3 calories, Carbohydrate 85.5 g, Cholesterol 54.7 mg, Fat 31.5 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 7.9 g, SaturatedFat 9.6 g, Sodium 256.2 mg, Sugar 50.2 g
CHOCOLATE BUTTER TARTS
Butter tarts with a chocolate surprise!
Provided by MommaBear
Categories Desserts Pies Tarts Butter Tart Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place tart shells on a baking sheet.
- Chop 3 ounces of the chocolate into small pieces; sprinkle evenly into the bottom of each tart shell.
- Whisk brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, butter, vinegar, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl; fill tart shells with sugar mixture 3/4 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven until filling expands and is bubbly and pastry is lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.
- Melt the remaining chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, about 1 minute (depending on your microwave). Drizzle chocolate over cooled tarts.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 278.6 calories, Carbohydrate 40 g, Cholesterol 20.9 mg, Fat 13.7 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 3.2 g, SaturatedFat 5.9 g, Sodium 128.8 mg, Sugar 18.5 g
AWARD-WINNING BUTTER TARTS
Butter tarts are a Canadian tradition. Waaaay back in the 1970s, a national contest here in Canada concluded that these butter tarts, originating from Wilkie's Bakery in Orillia, Ontario, were the best. I certainly think so and it's the only recipe I use. Add a sprinkle of toasted walnuts when you add the raisins, if you wish, or use only walnuts if you don't like raisins.
Provided by Lennie
Categories Pie
Time 1h5m
Yield 16 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Prepare muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting 4-inch (approx) circles; fit dough circles into muffin cups; set aside in fridge until ready to fill.
- In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Drain raisins.
- Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts.
- Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.
- Canadians fall into two camps about butter tarts and are quite loyal to their favourite type: runny or firm.
- I like runny-- the type that dribbles when you bite into one; if you like firm, bake them for the full 20 minutes, even adding another minute or two if you wish.
- Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 84.1, Fat 3.2, SaturatedFat 1.9, Cholesterol 19.2, Sodium 41.1, Carbohydrate 14.4, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 8.6, Protein 0.6
CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS
With comforting notes of butterscotch and caramel, Canadian butter tarts are the perfect easy dessert for when you want something small and sweet.
Provided by Ken Haedrich
Yield Makes about 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Prepare and refrigerate the pie dough.
- Roll the dough as you would for most pies, about ⅛-inch thick or a tad thinner. Don't worry about keeping it nice and round like you normally would.
- Using a 4-inch-diameter cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into as many circles as possible. Line each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with one of the circles, gently nudging it down into the bottom creases of the pan. Try not to stretch the dough as you work; it can help to use something blunt, like a narrow jar, to nudge the dough. The top edge of the dough circle should come to about the middle of the cup. Gather the scraps and reroll the dough if you need additional circles. Chill the pan in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Adjust one oven rack so it is in the lower position, and preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Combine the sugar, maple syrup, and butter in a mixing bowl. Whisk briefly. Add the egg, vinegar, vanilla, and salt, and whisk again.
- Set the muffin pan on your work surface. If you're using the fruit or nuts, put a few pieces in as many of the shells as you wish, but don't crowd them. Use a ladle or ¼-cup measuring cup with a handle to divide the filling evenly between the shells.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the filling bubbles and darkens somewhat.
- Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully run a butter knife around the edge to loosen each tart. Let the tarts cool in the pan, then remove. Store, refrigerated, in a single layer in a covered tin or container, but let them come to room temperature before serving.
Tips:
- Use real butter for the best flavor. Unsalted butter is also recommended and you can adjust the sweetness with sugar.
- Don't overmix the dough. Overmixing will make the tarts tough.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This will make it easier to work with and will prevent the tarts from spreading too much in the oven.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into circles. This will help to prevent the edges from tearing.
- Fill the tart shells with the filling to the top. This will ensure that the tarts are nice and full.
- Bake the tarts at a high temperature for a short amount of time. This will help to create a crispy crust and a gooey filling.
- Let the tarts cool for a few minutes before serving. This will help to prevent the filling from spilling out.
Conclusion:
Butter tarts are a delicious and classic Canadian dessert. They are perfect for any occasion, and they are sure to be a hit with your friends and family. With a few simple tips, you can make perfect butter tarts at home. So what are you waiting for? Give this recipe a try today!
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