My mother is Canadian-American. She comes from a tiny town in Alberta. She has lost her accent and her “eh”, but she’s still got her traditional Canadian recipes. Our northern neighbors know how to do dessert right. Some time ago I shared with you a recipe for Nanaimo Bars– a rich chocolaty Canadian delicacy. And now I finally got around to making butter tarts. I made them for my brother as a birthday gift. He’s a huge fan. It has been years since I’d had one and I’d forgotten how good they are!

These are amazingly simple to prepare. You make a buttery sweet pate brisee (pastry dough), form it into mini tarts, and fill it with a syrupy mixture of butter, sugar, and raisins. (I have detailed the pastry making process in another post, so be sure to visit that link for directions.) The filling is gooey and sweet, with a pleasant chewiness from the raisins. And I absolutely love the flaky, light crust. Don’t wait to try this Canadian delight!

Butter Tarts

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe all-butter pie crust (you will need to halve this recipe, because it is for a double pie crust)

Filling:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the pie crust and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F.

3. Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Using a large round cookie cutter (or cup/bowl) cut out 12 circles large enough to fill standard muffin tins. Gently press the crusts into the muffin tins (they should reach up the sides almost level with the top).

4. To prepare the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl, stirring until the sugar has dissolved (no lumps remain). Evenly distribute the filling among the 12 pastry crusts, filling each about 2/3 full. (Any fuller and they will bubble over when baking.)

5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crusts are lightly browned. Remove to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 12 tarts.

(My mom’s recipe.)