Canadian Butter Tarts (video)
These famous Canadian butter tarts consist of a flaky pastry shell filled with a rich buttery caramel centre. They are a perfect sweet indulgence whether you’re Canadian or not.
What is a butter tart?
A butter tart is a small pastry tart filled with a deliciously gooey semi-solid syrup made up of butter, sugar, and eggs. Often dried fruit or nuts are added to the filling. These sweet little gems are said to have originated in Quebec back in the 1600s. Though, the first printed recipe for butter tarts was published in The Women’s Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook in 1900, out of Barrie, Ontario.
The original version of Canadian butter tarts was made with maple sugar, freshly churned butter, and dried fruit such as raisins or currents. Butter tarts became all the rage in the 1920s and 1930s. It’s one of the few authentically Canadian recipes that exist on paper. (source: Food Network Canada and Food Blogger of Canada) Whether a true butter tart has a runny or firm filling, plain or with raisins, is a matter of passionate national debate. For me, it’s a matter of personal preference with no right or wrong.
Why this recipe is so great:
- Super flaky AND buttery tart shell – By using both butter and lard in this recipe, you achieve that flakiness you only get from using lard and that lovely buttery flavour you only get from using butter. It’s the best of both worlds.
- Rich and intensely flavourful filling – The filling is made with brown sugar and butter, so there is a deep molasses flavour from the sugar and smoothness from the butter. There is a splash of cream and vanilla added for more flavour and richness. An egg is added to help thicken the filling while it bakes. There is no fussing with corn syrup or maple syrup in this recipe.
- Easily adaptable – I love adding chopped pecans to the filling for some crunch and a nutty flavour. However, if pecans are not your thing, you can add raisins, dried currants, walnuts, chocolate chips, bacon (not a typo) or just leave them plain.
Ingredients you’ll need and why:
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure for the pastry by forming gluten when mixed with water, giving the dough its necessary elasticity and strength to hold its shape during baking.
- Baking powder – Acts as a leavening agent, creating a lighter and flakier texture by releasing carbon dioxide during baking, which helps the pastry rise.
- Salt – Enhances the overall flavour of the pastry by balancing the sweetness of the filling and also strengthens the gluten network for better dough stability.
- Lard – Contributes to a flaky texture because of its unique fat composition and higher melting point, which creates distinct layers in the pastry.
- Unsalted butter – Adds a rich flavour and helps in creating flaky layers; the water content in butter turns to steam during baking, which separates the dough layers. Butter also provides a smooth, creamy texture and adds richness to the filling, contributing significantly to the mouthfeel and flavour.
- Eggs – Add richness and moisture to the dough. They also act as a binding agent that helps set the filling, giving it structure and preventing it from being too runny while adding a smooth, custard-like consistency.
- White vinegar – Slightly inhibits gluten formation, resulting in a more tender and flaky pastry.
- Cold water – Hydrates the flour, allowing gluten to form, and keeps the fats (butter and lard) solid until baking, which is essential for achieving a flaky texture.
- Brown sugar – Sweetens the filling and adds a deep, caramel-like flavour due to the molasses content, enhancing the richness of the tart.
- Table or whipping cream – Adds creaminess and richness to the filling, giving it a smooth texture.
- Vanilla extract – Enhances the overall flavour of the filling with its warm, sweet notes.
- Chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips – Adds texture and additional flavours; nuts provide crunch and a nutty flavour, raisins add chewiness and sweetness, and chocolate chips introduce a rich, chocolaty element.
How to make butter tarts:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- You start by tossing together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then cut in the butter and lard until it resembles coarse oatmeal.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together an egg and some vinegar. Add enough water to make one cup.
- Gradually stir in the liquid, adding just enough water to make the dough cling together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball and divide into two equal portions. Tightly saran wrap both portions. Place one in the freezer for later use. Place the other in the fridge to chill for one hour.
- Roll the dough to about 1/8″ thick. Cut as many 4″ circles as you can. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more circles to make 12.
- Fit the pastry circles into a muffin pan and place back in the fridge until ready to fill.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar until combined. Whisk in a splash of cream and vanilla extract. Let cool for 5 minutes and whisk in an egg.
- Divide any add-ins like pecans or raisins if using among the pastry.
- Pour in the butter tart filling just until half full.
- Bake at 375F for 13-15 minutes or until crust is lightly golden and filling is bubbling.
Expert tips:
- Use softened butter and lard – I know this goes against all pie crust rules, but I find it much easier and faster to cut softened butter and lard than cold. And since you’re going to be placing back in the fridge to chill for an hour and again when you are preparing the filling, the fats will re-solidify, creating that layer upon layer of flaky crust.
- Bake in the lower third of oven – This will help the bottom of the tarts turn golden at the same time the edges are done.
- Best way to remove tarts from the pan – Let the tarts cool in the pan, place a cooling rack (upside down) on top and flip the pan over. Then flip each butter tart right-side up. If any of the butter tarts are stuck to the pan, use a fork to gently loosen and remove.
FAQ:
This is a matter of personal preference. I much prefer a traditional flaky pie crust. To me, it’s not a butter tart if it’s made with any other type of pastry. However, if you prefer a lighter tart shell or you’re press for time, then yes, you can use puff pastry.
Butter tarts do not need to be refrigerated if they will be consumed within a day or two and can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage, it’s best to store them in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Yes, butter tarts freeze really well. Place completely cooled tarts in an airtight freezer-friendly container or ziplock bag. Label with the date and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the day they were baked. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes.
Butter tarts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. If storing in the fridge, you can eat them cold or bring them to room temperature before serving. After 3 days, it’s best to freshen up the tarts in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.
You might also like:
The texture of these butter tarts is flaky and crumbly with a sticky-gooey centre. The taste is buttery with a warm caramel flavour. These butter tarts are a simple treat with a decadent flair.
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
PrintBEST Canadian Butter Tarts
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 butter tarts
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: Canadian
Description
This famous Canadian dessert consists of a flaky pastry shell filled with a rich buttery caramel centre.
Ingredients
Makes 12 butter tarts
Pastry
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) lard
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp (5ml) white vinegar
- about 1 cup (250ml) cold water
Filling
- 3/4 cup (165g) packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp (15ml) table or whipping cream
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Optional
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in the lard and butter using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
- In a measuring cup, combine the egg and vinegar. Add enough cold water to make one cup.
- Gradually stir in the liquid, adding just enough to make the dough cling together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball and divide into two equal portions. Tightly saran wrap both portions. Place one in the freezer for later use. Place the other in the fridge to chill for one hour.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8″ thick. Cut as many 4″ circles as you can. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more circles to make 12.
- Fit the pastry circles into a muffin pan and place back in the fridge until ready to fill.
- Preheat oven to 375F and position a rack in lower third of oven.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and vanilla. Let cool to touch (about 5 minutes) before whisking in the egg.
- Divide the pecans (if using) among the pastry shells and pour in the filling until half full.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until crust is lightly golden around the edges and filling is bubbling.
- Let cool completely in the pan. Best way to remove the tarts from the pan is to place a cooling rack (upside down) on top and flip the pan over. Then individually flip each butter tart right side up.
Notes
I normally only make a dozen butter tarts at a time, but if you are serving a large crowd and want to make 2 dozen tarts, simply double the filling ingredients and use all the pastry dough.
To prepare the freezer dough for use: Thaw overnight in the fridge and leave out for 15 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
Butter tarts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. If storing in the fridge, you can eat them cold or bring them to room temperature before serving. After 3 days, it’s best to freshen up the tarts in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.
To freeze butter tarts: Place completely cooled tarts in an airtight freezer-friendly container or ziplock bag. Label with the date and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the day they were baked. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 butter tart
- Calories: 236
- Sugar: 12.3 g
- Sodium: 113.6 mg
- Fat: 14.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.5 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 55.7 mg
This post was originally published on June 15th, 2017 and has been recently updated with new photos.
I needed much longer than 13 -15 minutes at 375 so for the second batch I increased the heat to 400 and baked at the lower rack for 18 minutes
Taste great
Hi I love the receipt. I like using Crisco instead. Question; the filling bubbles to the top of the crust nicely when baking, however when they cool, they calaspe, which then appears to be half filled. Any suggestions.
Thank you
Ron
Hi Ron,
Thank you for your feedback. My only suggestion would be to try not to overmix the filling and incorporate too much air into it. It’s those darn tiny air bubbles from whisking that cause the filling to rise then collapse when cooled. You could also just let it sit for a few minutes to get rid of some of those air bubbles before filling your tarts and that might help too.
Can you make these using cupcake tins??
Yes, that is what I used. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Another great recipe. I did not use your pastry, only difference with mine is I don’t use baking powder but the filling is spot on.
Aww, thank you for your kind words, Cindy. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
i haven’t made yet but wondered if puff pastry could be substituted
I still find these a bit sweeter than I’d like (the whole point of butter tarts though, right?) I added apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar just because I love acv. All in all, these turned out quite good. I will make it again and play with sugar adjustments as needed.
This will be my third Christmas making these lovely butter tarts. They are as good as my moms. (Lost the recipe). I only need to make dozens of them for gifting. Can i simply double or treble the pastry and filling recipe?
Yes, you could either just double the filling and make 2 dozen at a time, or double the pastry and quadruple the filling and make 4 dozen at a time. Up to you and thank you for the kind words. Have fun and Merry Christmas!
If you’re going to add raisins (which in my opinion are a necessity), you should first soak them in boiling water to pump them up. Then when ready to fill the tarts, drain and divide them between the shells.
I just finished making these.. I used my own pie crust recipe.. there was not enough filling to fill the crusts.. I would recommend tripling the recipe. I doubled it for 24,, but I should have tripled it. Haven’t tried tasting it, but they look great.
I guess I’m very light-handed when it comes to filling my butter tarts. I only fill them halfway to give them room to bubble. Thank you for your feedback and let me know how they taste!
Hi There
I’m going to attempt to make this pastry crust. Ive never done before… Does the butter need to be cold? Thank you
Hi Cassie,
What I’m going to tell you goes against all the rules, but I find it much easier to work with room temp butter and lard than cold. And since you’re going to be placing it back in the fridge to chill for an hour and again when you are preparing the filling, the fats will re-solidify, creating that flaky texture.
Hello
Love the recipe but as a novice baker, can you tell me the filling shrinks? Even when I fill them three quarters full.
Hi Lisa,
Yes, the filling does shrink a bit because some of it evaporates in the oven. You can try filling them a bit more, but it’s a fine balance because you don’t want to overfill and have it bubble over causing the tarts to stick like glue to the pan. I hope that helps and pls feel free to reply back with any other questions:)
I just wanted to say that real Canadian Butter Tarts that date back to the 1600’s btw…do NOT have any vinegar in them. I am born and bred Canadian with a long lineage of french canadian ancestors who all made the same recipe and definitely no vinegar. This is a newish thing people started putting in because they didn’t like the sweetness. Butter tarts are suppose to be sweet 🙂 Just saying if you are going to call them Canadian Butter tarts, leave out the vinegar
This recipe came from my friend’s grandma, so authentic or not, you’re going to have to take it up with her, lol. All I know is that it’s damn good!:)
You go girl.
Absolutely delicious
Why thank you:)
The vinegar is to stabilize the pastry, not to cut the sweetness from the tart… and to make it easier for amateurs to work with…. smh…
I cannot Thank you enough for this recipe my mother made these for us when we were kids I looked through her cookbooks and recipes never found one for butter-tarts even called her sisters nope they did not have it this is the recipe who would have thought she was born and raised in Canda moved to the States when she got married to Dad.
Thank you so very much
From Laura
Aww, you’re very welcome, Laura. I’m so glad you found this recipe. I hope it’s exactly like your mom’s. Enjoy and happy holidays!
If I wanted to make this in a mini-muffin pan, how long should I bake for? And do you think that it would work if I subbed in King Arthur gluten free measure for measure flour? Thank you so much for the recipe!
I’ve never used a mini muffin pan for this recipe, so I’m guessing 8-10 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden around the edges and filling is bubbling. And yes, you can use the King Arthur GF Measure for Measure flour or even the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 works great too. You’re welcome and let me know if you have any other questions:)
Very tasty, but I will add about 25% extra for amounts of filling and pastry. Barely able to get 12 shells pastry, and could only fill shells about 1/3 with filling (even with added nuts). Thanks!
Just did my first try doing butter tarts
Great recipe THANK YOU!
You’re very welcome, Jennifer. I’m thrilled you think it’s great! Thank you for your kind words:)
Can I use all butter instead of lard?
You can use all butter. It won’t be as flaky, but still delicious. Enjoy!
This is the best recipe ever thank you 😊
You’re very welcome, Shirley! Thank you for your kind words:)
This is a great recipe, but as a tried and true purist, if I use anything in them except raisins or currents, they are no longer butter tarts. Just sayin’ and I regularily make up the syrup part and then put nuts or cocoanut in the shells and bake them. That way I have more than just butter tarts to serve. I have pecan tarts, walnut tarts and cocoanut tarts as well. I saw a recipe that used walnuts and was apparently an old family recipe from Conneticut. Was more than miffed. Butter tarts are Canadian and have raisins or currents in them. The Americans can keep there nut pie. It too is good… but it’s not a Canadian Butter Tart.
Can I make the dough a day ahead and leave in the refrigerator overnight?
You can, but you might have to leave it out for an hour or so if it’s too hard to roll the next day. Thank you for your question and I hope you like the butter tarts!
Do you think Pillsbury pie crust would work for butter tarts? I am afraid it might me too thin.
It will be a bit thin, but it will work if you want to skip making your own crust.