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Home » Recipe Type » Tarts & Pies » Old Fashioned Butter Tarts

Old Fashioned Butter Tarts

By: Rosemary Published: September 14, 2022 Updated on: September 17, 2022

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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.

Butter tarts on a wire rack.

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.

Table of Contents

  • What are Canadian Butter tarts?
  • Recipe Ingredients
      • Plain Filling
      • Raisin Filling
      • Chocolate Filling
      • Pecan (Nut) Filling
  • Why soak raisins in water?
  • How to make Butter Tarts
  • The best Pastry Dough for Butter Tarts
  • How to Store Butter Tarts
  • Can Butter Tarts be Frozen?
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  • Pie Tarts & Pie recipes
  • Old Fashioned Butter Tarts
    • Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x
      • PIE PASTRY
      • BUTTER TART FILLING
      • PLAIN FILLING (without add ins)
      • *You can substitute with Maple syrup but start with a ⅓ cup since it is thinner than corn syrup.
      • RAISIN FILLING (add in)
      • CHOCOLATE CHIP FILLING (add in)
      • PECAN FILLING (add in)
    • Instructions 
      • PIE PASTRY
      • BUTTER TART FILLING
    • Notes
    • Nutrition

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!

A tart on a blue stand.

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!

A cut tart on a grey stand.
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    Pie Tarts & Pie recipes

    • Easy Caramel Apple Galette
    • Ricotta Spinach Tarts
    • Chocolate Mousse Tarts
    • Butter Tart Pie
    Butter tarts on a wire rack.

    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.
    4.83 from 126 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    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 12 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

        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.
        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.

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          1. Val says

            December 2, 2022 at 11:09 pm

            5 stars
            Great recipe, used last year as well! I make my own pastry, use the same red I ace for many years. Tarts turned out once again, awesome! Thank you for sharing your recipe, well done!

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 4, 2022 at 5:13 pm

              Hi Val, thanks so much, so glad you like the recipe. Take care!

              Reply
          2. L says

            November 20, 2022 at 12:27 am

            Hi Rosemary, what do you put on the bottom of the muffin tin?
            Do you butter and flour the tins before adding the uncooked tart?
            Would like to make these by end of week.
            Thank you!!

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              November 20, 2022 at 3:43 pm

              Hi L, yes I do grease and flour (or you could spray them) the tin first. I hope you like them. Let me know. Take care!

              Reply
          3. Raymond pichette says

            May 20, 2022 at 2:50 pm

            How to make less sweet

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              May 20, 2022 at 4:48 pm

              Hi Raymond, you can try adding less sugar or syrup, but they really are supposed to be sweet. 🙂

              Reply
          4. Bev says

            December 22, 2021 at 12:04 am

            5 stars
            Delicious tasting and flaky crust

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 22, 2021 at 10:12 am

              Thanks so much Bev. Take care.

              Reply
          5. Bev says

            December 22, 2021 at 12:03 am

            I am having trouble finding the best oven temperature for your delicious tarts. Could I bake them at just 350 for 2o to 25 mins

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 22, 2021 at 9:16 am

              Hi Bev, yes that should work. Let me know how it goes.

              Reply
          6. Ron Fenney says

            December 1, 2021 at 4:00 am

            The only problem I am having is with the tart filling. As it cooks it rises to the top of the crust, however once it cools the filling collaspes and the filling reduces to about 20% of what it should be. Why? Perhaps the baking temperature should be lower and allowed to cool slower. Any suggestions?
            Thank you,
            Ron

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 6, 2021 at 5:14 pm

              Hi Ron, so it seems it is because of over mixing the egg, lightly beat it with a whisk or fork. Over beating causes the egg to puff up then sink when it starts to cool. Hope that helps. Let me know.

              Reply
          7. Bev Smith says

            November 22, 2021 at 6:49 am

            Sounds great!

            Reply
          8. Bev Smith says

            November 22, 2021 at 6:48 am

            Can you:please send me this recipe and all others directly?
            Thank you.
            Bev Smith

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              November 22, 2021 at 11:13 am

              Hi Bev, if you sign up for the newsletter (at the bottom of every post) you will receive the new recipes for the week newsletter. Hope that helps. 🙂

              Reply
          9. Sue B says

            November 18, 2021 at 1:07 am

            I have been experimenting but keep having a problem with gooey filling…it separates when in the oven so I end up with a layer on top that is firm ( eggy?) And a layer of very liquify sweet syrup underneath….I have tried baking at different temperatures and longer…but the gooey filling still separates while baking…what should I try doing to remedy this…

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              November 21, 2021 at 12:15 pm

              Hi Sue, that could be either 2 reasons, you are over mixing the ingredients, the sugar is separating from the egg mixture, or try baking them for a bit longer. Hope that helps.

              Reply
          10. Rose Marie Cresta says

            June 3, 2021 at 1:51 am

            Hi, great recipe ! Can I freeze these ?

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              June 3, 2021 at 7:45 am

              Hi Rose Marie, thanks, yes they can be frozen, I would freeze them in a single layer in a freezer safe container. Hope that helps.

              Reply
          11. Lorna Demkowsky says

            April 18, 2021 at 5:27 am

            I wasn’t sure what size butter tart shells to use. I used 2’ tarts do I use a lower oven and less oven time

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              April 18, 2021 at 4:52 pm

              Hi Lorna, I used a medium muffin tin which should be about 2 inch tarts. So time I would say is about the same.

              Reply
          12. Judi Passmoor says

            December 29, 2020 at 11:24 am

            4 stars
            These sound lovely. We cannot buy corn syrup in the UK (have also heard it is a bad thing). Can I substitute golden syrup or maple syrup?

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 29, 2020 at 11:55 am

              Hi Judi, yes you can substitute with golden or maple syrup, if golden is thicker than maple then I would use golden. Let me know how it goes. Happy New Year.

              Reply
          13. Christina says

            December 18, 2020 at 1:19 pm

            If using store bought tart shells should I reduce cooking time? There alot smaller than your homemade tart.

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 18, 2020 at 6:43 pm

              Hi Christina, yes check them at 10 minutes and see if they are baked. Let me know.

              Reply
          14. Gail Fitzpatrick says

            December 12, 2020 at 9:38 pm

            I make tarts this year will buy store frozen shells. Do you have to thaw them before fiing them.

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 13, 2020 at 9:32 am

              Hi Gail, yes you should thaw them before filling and baking. Let me know how it goes.

              Reply
            • Sara says

              September 29, 2022 at 4:12 am

              Hi Gail,I make these tarts all the time and I don’t thaw my shells. I take them just before I make the filling and they turn out perfectly.

              Reply
          15. Art says

            December 4, 2020 at 9:34 pm

            Tried first hand with tarts but had trouble putting it in muffin tins wonder if molding around upside down tins an prebake them into shels an then place in tins then fill with filling then rebake. Do you think this would work an what temp. time to pre bake shells your tarts look great will try

            Reply
            • Rosemary says

              December 6, 2020 at 8:03 pm

              Hi Art, I don’t think that will work because the outside is larger than the inside so they won’t fit. You shouldn’t really have that much trouble placing the cut dough in the tins. Use a little extra flour so it doesn’t stick. Let me know.

              Reply
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