By Hannah Logan | April 9, 2020 | 2
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Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the world has been closed off to travel. For myself, an avid traveller and someone who works in travel, this is an incredibly difficult and stressful time. But, I know I’m not alone.
So, I’m starting this new mini-series here on Eat Sleep Breathe Travel under the theme ‘Travel From Home’. The plan is to share fun ideas along with recipes inspired by countries and locations that readers and followers can make from home while we are under quarantine, isolation, and lockdown. Cooking and baking are, for many of us, therapeutic activities and a fun distraction. Plus, who doesn’t love food?
To kick this off, I’m sharing a recipe for a classic Canadian dessert: The Butter Tart.
So, what the heck is a butter tart?
No, it’s not a tart filled with butter.
A butter tart is a tart with a gooey filling made with a mixture that includes butter, brown sugar, and egg. Almost like a pecan pie. You can also add different flavourings and bits to your filling, which I will discuss later.
There is a bit of debate around butter tarts. Some people want the centres to be gooey and runny. Other’ find that too messy and like it firmer. How firm the centre is will depend on how long you bake it for. Again, I’ll talk about that a bit more in the recipe section.
Here’s how to make Canadian Butter Tarts
Canadian Butter Tart Recipe
Ingredients
You Will Need
- Pie dough (you can make your own favourite recipe, or buy the premade raw pastry)
For the Filling (enough for 12 butter tarts)
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon of whipping cream
- flavouring*
*Typically, you will use 1 tsp of vanilla extract. However, since this is a Canadian recipe and I am very Canadian, I like to use pure maple syrup instead. I use about 1 tablespoon of maple syrup because the flavour isn’t quite as strong as it is in an extract. You can also be a bit creative here and use flavoured (ie: Rum or bourbon) vanilla.
Method
- pre-heat your oven to 375F
- Roll out the pastry dough. Don’t roll it too thick though because the best part of the Canadian butter tart is the filling, not the crust.
- Cut out circles big enough to fit and fill into a muffin tray. If you have a circular cookie cutter, that will work. If not, you can use a glass or even a mug to get the circles (that’s what I do). If the circles aren’t quite big enough for your tray, roll them out a little more with your rolling pin until they are the right size. Remember, keep the dough thin!
- Fit the circles into the tin, you’ll want the dough to come up to the edge of the tins to hold the liquid filling mixture. Place in fridge until ready to fill. (I do use a non-stick cooking spray on my pans, but most pie doughs are buttery and don’t tend to stick so you don’t need to)
- Melt butter and brown sugar on low heat over the stove. Once combined, take off the heat and add the cream and flavouring. Wait until it cools to room temperature, then mix in the egg.
- Decide if you want to add anything to your butter tarts. You can leave them plain or you can add nuts (pecans are my favourite), chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, etc. Some people add raisins. Just don’t. It’s wrong. If you do decide you want to add something to your tarts, place them at the bottom of the dough cups before you pour the filling on top.
- Pour your filling into the dough cups. Fill them up- they will bubble a little but they won’t explode and overflow. This recipe makes enough filling to fill 12 normal size tarts.
- Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. The tops should look a little crusted over (but still be wobbly when you touch the tray) and the crust should be golden brown. Now, if you like gooey butter tarts, you’ll want to reduce this cooking time. But, you still want to cook the crusts. So, before you add the filling, pop the crusts in the oven for about 5 minutes, then fill them up and put them in again right away for about 10 minutes. Then the crust is still baked but the centre (filling) isn’t as firm.
- Remove from tray, cool, and enjoy!
Butter tarts are very sweet, but if you like deserts they are delicious. Plus, they are really simple to make and don’t require many ingredients.
If you decide to make these, let me know what you think!
Happy baking!
FAQs
A butter tart (French: tarte au beurre) is a type of small pastry tart highly regarded in Canadian cuisine. The sweet tart consists of a filling of butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, baked in a pastry shell until the filling is semi-solid with a crunchy top.
What is butter tart filling made of? ›
These buttery mini pies, typically baked in a muffin tin, have a flaky crust filled with a gooey mixture of butter, sugar, syrup, egg, and sometimes raisins or nuts. They bear some resemblance to the American pecan pie and British treacle tart, but their uniquely rich flavor sets them apart.
Why are butter tarts a Canadian must try? ›
They are a humble treat, made with ordinary ingredients, and spectacularly delicious. “If you look at the ingredients, it's really what you have in your pantry when you have nothing else,” said Liz Driver, the author of “Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks, 1825–1949.”
Why are my butter tarts so runny? ›
Butter tarts that are runny may be underbaked or may not contain enough egg. Eggs help thicken and stabilize butter tart filling while it bakes, which is why I've included two whole eggs in my recipe to ensure the filling is thick and fully set once baked.
What is the difference between a pecan tart and a butter tart? ›
First, pecans are the star of pecan pie but are optional in butter tarts. Second, a butter tart has a runnier filling than the firmer pecan pie filling. And finally, butter tarts are popular in Canada while pecan pie is a southern classic in the United States.
Are butter tarts a Canadian thing? ›
The History Of The Butter Tart
' Butter tarts were common in Canadian pioneer cooking. The earliest published recipe for a butter tart is from Barrie, Ontario dating back to 1900 in the Women's Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook. Another early published recipe was found in a 1915 pie cookbook.
What country invented butter tarts? ›
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, butter tarts are a result of the filles du roi, or the King's Daughters, who were young French women sent to Quebec in the 17th century.
Should butter tarts have raisins? ›
Purists say true butter tarts should not contain raisins or nuts. For Currie and March of Wasaga Beach, Ont., they have to have raisins. Some like runny fillings, some firm. Some like thick pastry shells while others like thin so the filling stars.
What is a butter tart slang? ›
Butter tarts are indeed a popular Canadian pastery. The phrase butter tart, as used in the song, is also slang for a woman's parts.
Can you buy butter tarts in the States? ›
Yes, any decent bakery will typically carry butter tarts, that quintessential Canadian pastry.
What is Poutine? Poutine is Canada's national dish, which usually consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy.
Do they have butter tarts in the US? ›
In Canada, a flaky tart shell holds a dense, sweet sugar custard not unlike pecan pie filling. Longing for butter tarts after moving to the United States from Toronto, Asher Weiss adapted his great-grandmother's recipe and is producing them in Brooklyn.
How do you keep butter tarts from crystallizing? ›
White Vinegar - Some say vinegar is added to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. Others say the acidity of the vinegar helps to cut the sweetness of the tarts. Raisins - I use raisins, but you could also use nuts; pecans or walnuts are common.
Why does my tart have a soggy bottom? ›
Soggy bottoms
And finally, the most frustrating pastry problem of all – the soggy bottom. This normally happens when the oven is not hot enough or the pastry is not baked for long enough. However, it can also be because too much water was added to the dough.
Can I use oil instead of butter in tarts? ›
The pastry of a tart made by using oil instead of butter will be richer and more flavoursome and will have that home-made taste that is so special, with aromas reminiscent of one's granny's comforting recipes.
What pastry is Canada known for? ›
Nanaimo Bar
Named after the city it was invented in (Nanaimo, British Columbia on the west coast of Canada), this no-bake dessert has been hailed as Canada's most iconic treat.
What is British slang for tart? ›
In the 19th century, tart was British slang for "pretty woman." Some believe it is a shortening of "sweetheart." But by the end of that century, tart described a prostitute, something many language scholars trace back to the tart that you get at the bakery. Definitions of tart.
What is Bakewell tart named after? ›
Bakewell tart is named after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, where the Bakewell pudding (later to evolve into the Bakewell tart) was first served in the (no longer standing) White Horse Inn.
