Canada Tarts

7 Comments

YIELDS: 24

SERVING SIZE: 1 butter tart

CHILL TIME: 1 Hr

COOK TIME: 20 Min

The "butter tart" is considered one of Canada's quintessential desserts, and with good reason! All it takes is just one bite to understand what makes these so special. The pastry is super flaky, the filling is buttery-rich, and together...they're amazing! Our recipe for Canada Tarts is one you'll want to add to your recipe box!

What You'll Need

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup ice water
FILLING
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (see Note)

What to Do

In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt; mix well. Add cold, unsalted butter, using pastry cutter or your hands, mix until crumbly. Gradually add ice water and mix with a fork until dough holds together. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter; mix well. Stir in eggs, corn syrup, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until thoroughly combined; set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 ball of dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 12 (3-1/2-inch) circles using a cookie cutter or glass, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Press each circle into a muffin tin. (Dough will come up only 3/4 way up sides.) Repeat with remaining dough.
Sprinkle each tart shell with 1 heaping teaspoon of raisins. Pour brown sugar mixture evenly over raisins, filling 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until filling and crust are golden. Let cool 15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Mr. Food Test Kitchen Tip!

If you're not a fan of raisins, try making these with chopped walnuts. You can also serve 'em as-is (without the nuts or raisins), since they're good either way!
For another Canadian favorite, check out our recipe for 3-Layer Nanaimo Bars.
We've got desserts from all around the world! Try our German Pancakes, our Italian Cream Cake, or our Irish Lemon Pudding.

Up Next:

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Nutritional InformationShow More

Servings Per Recipe: 24

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Calories 224
Calories from Fat 100
Total Fat 11g 17 %
Saturated Fat 6.8g 34 %
Trans Fat 0.4g 0 %
Protein 2.2g 4 %

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Cholesterol 43mg 14 %
Sodium 151mg 6 %
Total Carbohydrates 30g 10 %
Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2 %
Sugars 14g 0 %

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rmgniagara

Jul 12, 2018

Leave a comment...Is it possible to cook the filling ie stovetop so that it can be poured into the prebaked shells and the filling firm up as if cooked in the oven? As a French CDN I am very familiar with Butter Tarts. The best.

Test Kitchen Team

Jul 13, 2018

Hi there! The Test Kitchen has not tried this on the stove top and isn't sure the filling will firm up.

Morehouse17

Mar 31, 2018

Making pastry has never turned out well for me. Is it possible to use the prepared pastry tart shells instead?

Test Kitchen Team

Apr 02, 2018

Hi Morehouse17! We don't recommend using prepared pastry tart shells. The pecan filling takes 25-30 minutes to cook, and the pastry shells only take 5-10 minutes, so they will wind up burning.

Delphine Bryant

Mar 31, 2018

Our neighbors from the North sound like they like their sweet stuff also. This Canada tart recipe could delicious and I just may make these on the next event I host. I love to present new treats to my friends and family.