Butter Tarts
Does a recipe get more Canadian than this combination of maple syrup and Dark Brown Sugar from Canada’s oldest sugar brand? A true Canadian original, there’s nothing quite like biting into the rich, decadent filling and buttery, flaky pastry shell to fill your mind with memories and your heart with joy.
30 minutes chilling time
For the pastry:
- 1 recipe “Pie Crust” 1 recipe “Pie Crust”
For the filling:
- ¾ cup (163 g) Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar, packed ¾ cup (163 g) Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar, packed
- ¾ cup (188 ml) pure maple syrup ¾ cup (188 ml) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp (43 g) butter, melted (warm) 3 tbsp (43 g) butter, melted (warm)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5 ml) apple cider vinegar 1 tsp (5 ml) apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Equipment:
- Scale OR dry measuring cups Scale OR dry measuring cups
- Measuring spoons Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup Liquid measuring cup
- Rolling pin Rolling pin
- Round cutter (4-inch) Round cutter (4-inch)
- Standard muffin tin (12 wells) Standard muffin tin (12 wells)
- Fork Fork
- Medium bowl Medium bowl
- Whisk Whisk
- Fine-mesh sieve Fine-mesh sieve
- Large measuring cup Large measuring cup
- Paper liners x 12 Paper liners x 12
- Pie weights OR dried beans OR uncooked rice Pie weights OR dried beans OR uncooked rice
- Wire cooling rack Wire cooling rack
Instructions
For the pastry dough:
Make dough as directed in the recipe “Pie Crust”.
Roll dough to ⅛-inch thickness. With a 4-inch cutter, cut 12 rounds.
Lightly grease the wells of a standard muffin tin with butter or baking spray. Line greased muffin wells with pastry rounds, ensuring dough extends above the rim. Dock the bottom and sides of each tart shell with a fork. Freeze; 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
For the filling:
In a bowl, whisk the Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and salt until sugar dissolves.
Whisk in eggs until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture through a sieve into a large measuring cup.
Remove muffin tin from freezer. Place a liner in each tart shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
To blind bake the tart shells, place tin into preheated oven for 15 minutes or until crusts look dry. Remove liners and pie weights. Continue baking until pastry surface is golden in colour and completely dry; 8 to 10 minutes.
Whisk filling and divide evenly into the shells, filling them as much as possible.
Return tin to oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until filling has puffed up but has a slight jiggle in the centre. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Chef's Tips
*If desired, add 1 cup of dried fruit (raisins, currants, cranberries) or chopped toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts) or chocolate chips to the recipe. Evenly divide the inclusions amongst the tart shells before pouring in the filling.
*Keep the dried beans or rice used in a separate, labelled container as they can be reused for future recipes requiring pie weights.
*Leaves, circles, letters, or other shapes can be cut out of the scrap pie dough and baked on a separate baking sheet to top off the butter tarts if desired. Alternatively, the scraps can be used to make “Blueberry Pinwheels (Pets de soeurs).”
*Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar can be used in place of the Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar; note that this will result in a butter tart that is lighter in colour and a more subtle caramel flavour.
