Butter Tarts remind me of home. They are gooey, and sticky, and lovely little treats. Fill them with nuts, or raisins, or leave them plain. It doesn’t matter to me, but it might start a polite argument for some! My mom makes the best ones, and this is her recipe (and her photos) I’m sharing.
Tart Shells
I am afraid of making pastry. There, I said it. I’ve made Butter Tarts a dozen or more times. I have only ever made them in Canada, though, and always used store bought tart shells (just like mom!). Since these are more about the filling than the pastry, and the thin, pre-made tart shells worked fine, why learn to make pastry? However, in the US, you can’t find pre-made tart shells in most grocery stores. I have yet to find them in the Mdwest, and Steve has only found them on Amazon and in ridiculous quantities.
Depending on your own traditions, you might fill them with raisins, nuts, or just leave them plain. I prefer raisins, but Steve (a recent convert to the amazing Butter Tart) prefers nuts. Even Wikipedia says the filling is a matter of national debate! However you make them, please just invite me over!
Baking
Don’t fill them up all the way when you bake them. The sugar will boil over and make a giant mess. You may even want to make them with a pan underneath, because when they boil over, the sugar goes everywhere!
You want them to still be gooey and runny in the middle, so trust the timing on these. Don’t over-bake them expecting the filling to set. It won’t, and it shouldn’t. If you like a firmer filling, there are lots of recipes online that adjust the egg/sugar ratio to create a solid, less gooey (less fun) version!
This recipe is part of our Canadian Week. |
Butter Tarts
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Corn Syrup
- 1 cup Brown Sugar – packed
- 4 Tbsp Butter – melted
- 2 Eggs – lightly beaten
- Pecans or Raisins (optional)
- 2 Doz Tart Shells (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F
- In a large bowl dissolve the sugar into the beaten eggs
- Add the syrup and melted butter and stir to combine
- If adding raisins or pecans add a few to the bottom of each tart shell
- Fill the tart shells with the sugar mixture until they are ¾ full
- Bake for 15 min, they should be gooey and the shells should have browned
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