Name: Old Fashioned Butter Tarts
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 Pie Pastry Recipe or 12 pre-made tart shells; 1/4 cup butter (melted / cooled); 1/2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed); 1/2 cup corn syrup*; pinch of salt; 1 large egg (lightly beaten); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 3/4 cup raisins; boiling water; 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips; 1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)

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Old Fashioned Butter Tarts, the best homemade Butter Tart Recipe and definitely better than store bought! A delicious Canadian tradition that can’t be missed. Syrupy and sweet exactly how they should be.

A flaky pie crust filled with a sweet raisin filling. If you don’t like raisins just leave them out! This old fashioned butter tart recipe is one of the best you will taste.

Here I am again Celebrating #Canada150 this time I am sharing one of Ontario’s favourite fabulous foods, Old Fashioned Butter Tarts. Ontario is situated in Central Canada with probably one of Canada’s most famous and popular cities, Toronto, my place of birth.

What are Canadian Butter tarts?

It is believed that between 1663 and 1673 approximately 800 young women were sent to Québec from France to help colonize. They brought with them their traditional European recipes but of course they had to adapt to making them with the ingredients available.

The sugar pie, was made with a filling of flour, butter, salt, vanilla, and cream, it is considered the forerunner to the butter tart.

Although the butter tart as we know it now was common in Canadian pioneer cooking. The earliest published recipe dates back to 1900 in the Women’s Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook, which was written in Barrie Ontario.

Recipe Ingredients

Pastry dough

Plain Filling

Butter – melted and cooled
Brown sugar – light brown
Syrup – corn syrup is the traditional syrup but you could substitute with maple syrup
Salt
Egg
Vanilla extract

Raisin Filling

3/4 cup raisins or currants
Boiling water

Chocolate Filling

1/4 mini chocolate chips – semi sweet or milk chocolate or a combination

Pecan (Nut) Filling

1/3 cup Pecans – coarsely chopped, you could substitute with hazelnuts or even walnuts

Why soak raisins in water?

Because raisins are very dry, if they aren’t soaked then they will absorb the liquid from your baked goods, making the dessert less moist. That’s why it is imperative to soak them first, or any dried fruit for that matter.

They don’t have to soak in water, you can soak them in a fruit juice such as pineapple juice or even rum or brandy.

I have made these tarts a few times this past couple of weeks, and we made them again when my cousin came to visit. This time we made a few different types. Pecan, Chocolate Chip and Plain Butter Tarts. It was hard to decide which was our favorite!

How to make Butter Tarts

Prepare either the Simple Pie Dough or Brown Sugar Pie Dough. Or you can use prepared store bought tarts. If you use homemade pastry, the dough will have to be wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled for approximately 60 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a 12 size medium muffin pan.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8″ thick, cut out with a round cookie cutter. Gently form the circles into the muffin tin. Use a small lightly floured shot glass to gently form the rounds into the tin.

how to make butter tarts pastry formed and shaped in the muffin tin and filled

If using raisins, place them in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water, let sit 10-15 minutes then drain well. Immediately add hot raisins to butter mixture and stir until butter has melted.

Add the lightly beaten egg and vanilla, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup, stir to combine, do not over mix.

If not using the raisins then melt the butter, let cool slightly, then add the lightly beaten egg, vanilla, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup, stir to combine do not over mix. At this point you can either stir in the chopped pecans, chocolate chips or leave the filling plain.

how to make butter tarts fillings pecan, plain and chocolate chip — Fillings – Pecan, Chocolate Chip & Plain

Pour the filling into the prepared tart shells and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for approximately 10 – 15 minutes (until they start to brown). Once they are cool enough to touch move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

The best Pastry Dough for Butter Tarts

Butter tarts are best made with a flaky pie crust therefore I like to use either a Simple Pie Dough or a Brown Sugar Pie Dough, either work perfectly.

How to Store Butter Tarts

Butter Tarts should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated, they will keep for up to five days in the fridge. If you keep them at room temperature remember they will only keep for about a day or 2 depending on how warm your home is.

Can Butter Tarts be Frozen?

Yes they can be frozen, be sure to freeze in an airtight freezer container. Properly stored they will keep for up to two months. You could also make the dough in advance and freeze it, the dough will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

These Old Fashioned Butter Tarts are the perfect sweet treat that you could be looking for. If you try them let me know. Enjoy!

Pie Tarts & Pie recipes

Old Fashioned Butter Tarts

Rosemary Molloy

Old Fashioned Butter Tarts, the best Homemade Canadian Recipe, with the perfect sweet runny filling, dessert or snack idea.

4.74 from 84 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Chilling Time for Pastry 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Servings tarts

Calories 292 kcal

Ingredients

PIE PASTRY

1 Pie Pastry Recipe or 12 pre-made tart shells

BUTTER TART FILLING

PLAIN FILLING (without add ins)

1/4 cup butter (melted / cooled)
1/2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1/2 cup corn syrup*
pinch of salt
1 large egg (lightly beaten)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

*You can substitute with Maple syrup but start with a ⅓ cup since it is thinner than corn syrup.

RAISIN FILLING (add in)

3/4 cup raisins
boiling water

CHOCOLATE CHIP FILLING (add in)

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

PECAN FILLING (add in)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Instructions

PIE PASTRY

Prepare either the Simple Pie Dough or Brown Sugar Pie Dough. Or you can use prepared store bought tarts.
Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8″ thick, cut out with a round cookie cutter. Gently form the circles into the muffin tin. Use a small lightly floured shot glass to gently form the rounds into the tin.
Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C). Grease and flour a 12 size medium muffin tin.

BUTTER TART FILLING

If using raisins, place them in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water, let sit 10-15 minutes then drain well. Immediately add the hot raisins to the butter mixture and stir until butter has melted. Then add the lightly beaten egg, vanilla, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup, stir to combine, do not over mix.
If not using the raisins then melt the butter, let cool slightly, add the lightly beaten egg, vanilla, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup, stir to combine do not over mix. At this point you can either stir in the chopped pecans, chocolate chips or leave the filling plain.
Pour the filling into the prepared tart shells and bake for 15 minutes at 400F (200C), reduce heat to 350F (180C) and continue baking for approximately 10 – 15 minutes (until they start to brown). Once they are cool enough to touch move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

To freeze, place them in an airtight freezer container. Properly stored they will keep for up to two months. You could also make the dough in advance and freeze it, the dough will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 123mgPotassium: 103mgFiber: 2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2.7mg

Keyword butter tarts, chocolate chip butter tarts, classic butter tarts, old fashioned butter tarts, pecan butter tarts

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from May 3, 2017.

Old Fashioned Butter Tarts

What are Canadian Butter tarts?