Canadian Butter Tarts

A recipe for Canadian Butter Tarts in celebration of #FoodieExtravaganza’s Nuts Event! These flaky tarts are filled with a decadent brown sugar maple center.

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Foodie Extravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme from The Nibble into recipes to share with you.

Caroline of Caroline’s Cooking picked Nuts for today’s event! Other foods celebrated in October include apples, chocolate, pork, caramel, pickled peppers, pasta, homemade cookies, oatmeal, dulce de leche, and pretzels.

If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. Posting day is alway the first Wednesday of the month. We would love to have you!

Canadian Butter Tarts

Butter Tarts are a delicious Canadian treat with a flaky crust and a sweet, caramel-like filling. They can be made plain with only the brown sugar maple (or corn syrup) filling or have a variety of additions and other flavors.

I went with pecans due to the theme of today’s event and to highlight the season. If you aren’t a fan of pecans, they can simply be left out or substituted for raisins, walnuts, currants, or chocolate chips (a favorite with our kids).

Since the pecans are added to the pastry cups separately from the filling, you can even mix and match without having to make an entire batch of just one flavor. Next time, I may add some chocolate chips along with the pecan pieces.

The filling can range from solid to more gooey depending on the family and region. I went with the gooey, runny filling, but feel free to add another egg and/or add a couple of minutes to the cooking time for a more firm center.

These Canadian Butter Tarts are best the day they are baked, but can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

A Few Tips

To help create the buttery flaky texture for the pie crust, I used a dough blender to cut in the diced butter and shortening. You can also use two forks, the tips of your fingers, or carefully pulse in the food processor. Just try to work as quickly as possible to keep the butter from melting.

I added just enough water (also chilled) to bring the dough together, but try to avoid adding too much. Overworking the dough will cause the pie crust to toughen and lose the flaky texture. Make sure to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out and transferring to the muffin tins.

I toasted the pecans before adding them to the butter tarts to help bring out even more flavor. Toasting them in a skillet on the stovetop is faster, but you have to constantly stir to keep them from burning. Remove once they are slightly darkened and fragrant.

You can also bake the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350˚F (180˚C) until fragrant and golden, about 8 minutes.

The recipe is enough for about 12 butter tarts, but the ingredients can easily be doubled for a larger crowd.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Barberry Pistachio Saffron Rice by Food Lust People Love
• Canadian Butter Tarts by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Healthy Granola Cakes by Sneha’s Recipes
• Pumpkin Nut Braid by Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin-Nut Crumble Cake by Hardly A Goddess
• Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Walnut Sauce by Caroline’s Cooking

Canadian Butter Tarts Recipe

Adapted from The Crepes of Wrath and Rock Recipes

Print Pin

5 from 6 votes

Canadian Butter Tarts

A recipe for Canadian Butter Tarts! These flaky tarts are filled with a decadent brown sugar maple center.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword canada, canadian, dessert, nut, pecan, tart

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Resting Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 42 minutes

Servings 12 Butter Tarts

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon (6 grams) granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup (45 grams) shortening chilled
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tablespoon (7 milliliters) white vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 milliliters) cold water

Filling:

• 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (40 grams) toasted pecans chopped, optional

Instructions

To make the crust:

• In a large bowl or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Cut in the butter and shortening using your fingers, a dough blade, forks, or by pulsing in the food processor until the mixture becomes coarse and no pieces are larger than a pea.
• Mix in the egg yolk. Slowly add the vinegar, followed by just enough water to bring the dough together.
• Form the dough into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Lightly grease muffin tins with butter.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the refrigerated dough into a sheet about 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) thick. Use a 4 inch (10 centimeter) round cutter to cut out circles of dough. Bring together the scraps of dough and roll out again to create more circles.
• Gently press each circle down into the prepared muffin tins, making sure to press from the center out to the edges to keep out any air bubbles between the dough and the tin. Place the dough-lined muffin tins in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

• In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, salt, maple syrup, butter, egg, and vanilla extract.
• If using, sprinkle a single layer of chopped pecans in each of the pastry cups. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the pecans to fill each cup 2/3rds full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, 12-15 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely before removing from the tins and serving.