Indulge in some great Old Fashioned Butter Tarts. A Canadian classic dessert recipe with sweet, slightly runny filling and flaky melt in your mouth made from scratch pastry.
This best ever recipe for Old Fashioned Butter Tarts is a popular treat for Holiday Baking, but tastes so terrific you'll want to bake up a batch throughout the year. My recipe for butter tarts gets rave reviews with its perfect consistency of gooey sweet filling and the homemade tarts shells that are crisp and flaky.
Every family Christmas someone brought Butter Tarts and they always seemed the first treat to disappear. I think the true test of an exceptional butter tart is the crust; and in my opinion that means making the shells from scratch. This crust recipe is light, flaky and buttery tasting! The filling is so simple to prepare and can be used as is (my preference) or add raisins or pecans.
Old Fashioned Butter Tarts
The perfect butter tart recipe with sweet, slightly runny filling and flaky melt in your mouth pastry.
Ingredients
- Tart Shell Pastry
- 2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter chilled and cut into pieces
- ¼-1/2 cup ice cold water
- Butter Tart Filling
- ½ cup soft butter
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup corn syrup golden
- 2 eggs slightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Butter Tart Pastry
- Sift flour, salt and sugar together.
- Using pastry blender cut butter into flour mix until resembles course meal.
- Add cold water a bit at a time until dough just starts to hold together. (too much water will make for a tough dough).
- Press dough together and shape into disk.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out tart dough and cut 16 4-inch circles.
- Press dough in muffin cups (try not to stretch dough).
- Refrigerate until filling is prepared.
- Butter Tart Filling
- In large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir until butter is creamed and sugar is dissolved.
- Add eggs, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix well.
- Fill tart shells with filling.
- Bake 400F for 15-20 minutes.
- Filling should be lightly browned and still bubbling.
- Let tarts cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store bought pastry tart shells will work as well. Add raisins or pecans if you like.
Nutrition
Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 314mgPotassium: 42mgSugar: 15gVitamin A: 560IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 1.1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Nanaimo Bars are another fabulous Canadian treat that you must try.
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WPDjr
I know this is a Canadian based recipe. All of my "regular" sized muffin pan are 12-muffin sized. I've looked on Amazon, can can't find 16 muffin-cup pans. So, do you do two pans with empty muffin cups, use mini-muffin-cup pan (which is usually 24), or does Canada have a 16-cup pan? I guess I'm trying to determine of the tarts are standard muffin pan sized tarts, or if the size ratio is different in Canada due to a different pan size. Thanks in advance for the guidance.
Laureen King
Hi, I used two 12 muffin sized pans and left empty muffin cups. My muffin tin is not very deep so it works out to 16, but if you have a deeper muffin tin if would most likely make 12. Another option is to make 12 regular and then some mini ones.
Susan Clark
Exactly like my recipe. A trick I use is to flatten muffin paper and put each circle of pastry on it then slide it into the muffin pan. Easier to put in and easier to remove after baking.
Linda I Dadey
Us Canadian home bakers use a 12 Cup muffin tin.
Susan Mitchell
Excellent recipe, from someone who is very nervous about making pie crust. Filling was traditional and perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.
Laureen King
Excellent Susan, I too still get nervous making pie crusts, but the homemade version is so much tastier!
Kimberly
I finally came across my Mum's recipe for butter tarts. EEvertime I make them, I think of her. We put currants and coconut in ours. We don't much care for nuts. Still trying to perfect my mothers pastry dough, every year, I'm closer! I really didn't realize that these were a Canadian thing, I just thought it was passed down from my Mum's Mum. Makes sense now seeing as my Mother was Canadian!!
Laureen King
Kimberly aren't our Mom and Grandmother's recipes the best, so many memories to go with all those great recipes.
Shaby
Made them today and they are delicious! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe ❤
Ada
Wondered can u replace the Butter with Lard or Tender flake shortening tyvm
Laureen King
Yes Ada yes you can for the tart shells, they will be a bit more flaky. but not for the filling.
Ada
Tyvm I wouldn't put lard in filling lol ty again
Maria
Should I reduce the baking time if I use a mini muffin tin?
Laureen King
Maria, yes the baking time would be reduced a bit, but shouldn't be by too much. Watch closely when edges of pasty starts to brown.
Jane
I haven't had butter tarts in years! I had a pack of frozen shells and wasn't sure what to do with them - then I came across this recipe. These turned out awesome! And best part is that I had all the ingredients already in the house. Though I am so glad I thought to put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.....I was a bit too generous with the filling in a few and they spilled over lol. Definitely will be making again!
Laureen King
Thank you Jane, one of my favourite treats. My Mom made these every year at Christmas.
Cheryl
Can you use real maple syrup in place of corn syrup?
Laureen King
Hi Cheryl, no maple syrup cannot be used in place of corn syrup as maple syrup wont't set like corn syrup.
Jill
Hi there I’m so excited about making knees are used to live in Canada so they were stable now I’m making them for a birthday gift here in Florida! I’m nervous about the tart shells ....when you say to put them in a disc before you refrigerate what do you mean by that?
Julie
I had my first butter tart a few years ago at the Toronto Christmas market on my way to Ottawa for a hockey game and today I DM'd my best friend and was like "What if I made butter tarts?" and she said do it, so I did it. I've never made pastry cases before but it was really easy and it did come together pretty well for me!!! These really taste like pecan pie filling and my mom was really skeptical but she loved them!! I will definitely try this recipe again!!
Laureen King
Thank you Julie, yes butter tarts are very similar to pecan pie filling.
Heather
They may taste good to eat but Corn Syrup is bad for you plus my mother who is long gone use to make them with butter, brown sugar, egg & vanilla there was no corn syrup back in the day now that’s old fashion butter tarts.
Laura
Hi Heather, you are confusing regular corn syrup, invented in 1898, with high fructose corn syrup, invented in the 60’s - they are very different and it is the high fructose corn syrup that is bad for you. Regular corn syrup is metabolized similar to sugar, high fructose corn syrup is hard on your liver etc. Just wanted you to know! All the best!
Ashton
Can't wait to try, my husband is from Canada and he loves butter tarts. Hope he loves them 🤞🏻
Laureen King
Hi hope he enjoys them.
Marj
Hi there,
I am wanting make this recipe but could you please tell me how many cups of raising and nuts to use for this?
Thank you kindly,
Marj
Laureen King
Hi Marj, I would add a cup.
Anna Stockwell
Oh my, I had given up trying to make good gluten free pastry but, thought I would give it one last try. I'm so glad I did. This pastry is so perfect that I will use it for all my baking, it's flaking and, better than any store bought or homemade pastry. I did use shortening instead of butter and will be making it again and again. Thank you for sharing. Can you tell me if it should be refrigerated after baking and can it be frozen?
Laureen King
Anna, the butter tarts can be stored for up to 2 days at room temperature and up to five days refrigerated.
Kristen Warbeck
Wow! wonderful recipe, so yummy! My tarts are sticking in the tins though, is there a way I can avoid this from happening?
Laureen King
I use a non-stick baking tin, but you could try using paper cups or buttering the tin.
Melly
Ive been planning on making these but I’m so confused, the recipe says corn syrup, golden. But I could only find light corn syrup and I looked it up but it said golden syrup and light corn syrup are completely different, but the recipe keeps saying corn syrup. I think it was meant to be light, otherwise which one is the right one? Mind you google never said golden *corn* syrup, just golden syrup.
Laureen King
Hello, sometimes ingredient name and variety by country. I live in Canada and can find both, but just plain corn syrup will work in this recipe.
Vic kiss
Can maple syrup be substituted for the corn syrup or will it bake differently
Laureen King
Vic I haven't tried with maple syrup, but I don't think they would set the same as using corn syrup resulting in them being too runny.
Joyce Fecteau
What rack do you cook on?
Laureen King
I bake on the middle rack Joyce.