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    Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Old Fashioned Butter Tarts

    Dec 17, 2013 by Laureen King

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    Indulge in some great Old Fashioned Butter Tarts. A Canadian classic dessert recipe with sweet, slightly runny filling and made from scratch, flaky, melt in your mouth pastry. via @artandthekitchIndulge in some great Old Fashioned Butter Tarts. A Canadian classic dessert recipe with sweet, slightly runny filling and made from scratch, flaky, melt in your mouth pastry. via @artandthekitch

    Indulge in some sweet Old Fashioned Butter Tarts. This popular Canadian classic dessert recipe consists of flaky homemade pastry shells filled with a rich, buttery caramel filling. Passed down from my Mom, this is the best butter tart recipe you will find!

    Stack of 4 homemade butter tarts on a white plate.

    This best ever recipe for Old Fashioned Butter Tarts is always included in my Holiday baking. But these sweet tarts are so delicious you will want to bake them all year long! My Mom's recipe for butter tarts has a perfect consistency of gooey, runny, sweet filling in made-from-scratch pastry shells. The tart shells are exceptionally buttery and flaky.

    Are Butter Tarts really Canadian?

    Yes, Canada's favorite dessert has origins which date back to the 1600's! The Canadian Butter Tart is a small flaky pastry with a filling of butter, eggs, and brown sugar which are baked until the top is slightly crunchy and the filling is semi-solid.

    Another incredible classic Canadian dessert you will love is my recipe for Nanaimo Bars.

    Butter tarts with flaky crust cooling on black wire rack.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    The ultra flaky tart crust is a simple combination of flour, sugar, salt, butter, and ice cold water.

    Can you use store bought tart shells?

    Yes, although not as tasty and flaky as homemade tart shells, they do help make this recipe quicker and easier to prepare.

    I love the filling exactly as my Mom made it in this recipe. A mixture of butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and a pinch of salt.

    Some tasty additions to try would be:

    • raisins
    • currants
    • nuts such as pecans or walnuts

    Can you use maple syrup instead of corn syrup in butter tarts?

    Yes, although I find them a bit more runny, and you will have the distinctive maple flavor.

    How to store Butter Tarts

    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, and up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

    Can Butter Tarts be frozen?

    Yes, butter tarts freeze well. Cool completely, place in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

    Stack of butter tarts with bite out of one of them.

    How to make these tasty treats

    For the pastry:

    • Sift flour, salt and sugar together. Using a pastry blender cut the chilled butter into the flour mix. Blend until it resembles course meal.
    • Add ice-cold water a bit at a time, just until the dough starts to hold together. Do not over-work the pastry dough or it will become tough. The same technique you use making pie crust.
    • Press dough together forming a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    • Next, roll out the dough on lightly floured surface, to about ¼ inch thick.
    • Using a round cookie cutter, cut into 4-5 inch circles. Press dough into muffin pan, trying not to stretch the dough.

    For the filling:

    • Mix together butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Whisk until the butter is creamed and sugar dissolved.
    • Add egg, vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Mix well.
    • Fill the tart shells about ⅔ full.
    • Bake in the oven at 400º Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from baking pan to cooling rack.

    My Mom's favorite baking treats:

    Every family Christmas my Mom made her Old Fashioned Butter Tarts. They always seemed to be the first Christmas baking treat to disappear. Next to go off her Holiday baking tray were Whipped Shortbread Cookies, Butterscotch Confetti Squares and Gingerbread Cookies.

    Black baking rack filled with butter tarts.

    Enjoy more Sweet treat recipes

    • Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge
    • Best Ever Sugar Cookies
    • Date Squares
    Stack of homemade butter tarts on white plate
    Stack of four homemade tarts with syrupy filling on white plate.

    Old Fashioned Butter Tarts

    Laureen King
    The perfect butter tart recipe with sweet, slightly runny filling and flaky melt in your mouth pastry.
    4 from 324 votes
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    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Canadian
    Servings 16
    Calories 296 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Tart Pastry

    • 2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon 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 teaspoon vanilla
    • pinch of salt

    Instructions
     

    Butter Tart Pastry

    • Sift flour, salt and sugar together.
    • Using a pastry blender cut butter into flour mix until it resembles course meal.
    • Add cold water a bit at a time until dough just starts to hold together. Adding too much water will make for a tough dough. Do not over-work the dough.
    • Press dough together forming a disk.
    • Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
    • Roll out the pastry dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into sixteen 4-inch circles or twelve 5-inch circles.
    • Press the dough into muffin tins being careful not to stretch the dough.
    • Refrigerate until the filling is prepared.

    Butter Tart Filling

    • In a large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir until the butter is creamed and the sugar is dissolved.
    • Add eggs, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix well.
    • Fill the tart shells about ⅔ full with the filling.
    • Bake at 400º Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.
    • The filling should be lightly browned and bubbling.
    • Let the butter tarts cool in pan for about 10 minutes. 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: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 299mgPotassium: 45mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 562IUCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword butter tarts
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ArtAndTheKitchen or tag #ArtAndTheKitchen!
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    photo of author laureen

    About Laureen

    I created Art and the Kitchen as a way to share many great, tried and true recipes. My collection of recipes include family favorites and those special recipes handed down from my Mom, Grandma and friends. My recipes range from good old homestyle cooking to exquisite gourmet meals. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Laureen King

      December 20, 2013 at 12:31 am

      thank you Dina!

      Reply
    2. dwormanc

      December 24, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      Thank you for sharing Laureen. When parents took us to Toronto for family vacations during the USA Labor Day Weekends--long weekends;-) There was a bakery on Bloor Street or Yorkville near the Westbury Hotel on the lower level of an international bldg. They made these tarts all year round They are soooooo delicious was always wondering how to make them Thank you again looking forward to making them.

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        December 24, 2013 at 4:18 pm

        Thank you for sharing that special story. It is funny how certain food can bring back fond memories. Have a very Merry Christmas!

        Reply
    3. Amber Spiegel

      December 27, 2013 at 2:27 pm

      These look incredible!!

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        December 27, 2013 at 4:24 pm

        Thank you Amber! Hope you had a special Christmas.

        Reply
    4. Laureen King

      January 21, 2014 at 11:21 pm

      I have never used a substitution, about the only thing that comes to mind to try might be agave nectar.

      Reply
      • asdfgh

        January 01, 2019 at 6:30 pm

        Maple syrup. great replacement

        Reply
    5. Joy totheWorld

      September 02, 2014 at 5:00 am

      My Grandmaw made what she called Pecan Tarts for years. One of my favorites. Not sure where she got the recipe. It is nice to discover where it originated. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        September 02, 2014 at 5:15 am

        Recipes passed down from Grandmas are the absolute best!

        Reply
    6. Laureen King

      October 22, 2014 at 2:22 am

      Golden is the type of corn syrup, not the brand, the label should have on it Golden corn syrup. It is usually a golden brown colour. I used Crown brand.

      Reply
    7. Laureen King

      November 27, 2014 at 4:36 am

      Thanks so much swirls and spice

      Reply
    8. Kim T

      December 23, 2014 at 1:23 am

      How many dozen dies this recipe make?

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        December 23, 2014 at 1:43 am

        This recipe makes 16 tarts Kim

        Reply
    9. Hella

      February 15, 2015 at 10:17 am

      Hey, I made these yesterday and the filling never firmed up. It's super runny. Any ideas on where I went wrong?

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        February 15, 2015 at 11:21 am

        Hi Hella, for this recipe the filling shouldn't firm up, it is suppose to be gooey and a bit runny. If it is too runny you may try refrigerating them for a while.

        Reply
      • Annette

        September 30, 2017 at 3:49 am

        5 stars
        I used this recipe for years and made thousands of tarts for my restaurant. You can make the filling firmer by just baking longer. The entire secret is oven temp and baking time. Your oven may not bake the same as mine therefore bake, bake, bake and with practice, you choose a time and temp that produces tarts exactly as you like them.

        Reply
        • Laureen King

          September 30, 2017 at 12:01 pm

          Thanks Annette for the great tips, I agree, everyone prefers their butter tarts a certain way. I personally like them quite runny. Messy but good.

          Reply
    10. Laureen King

      February 19, 2015 at 8:49 am

      Thank you Old Fashioned Recipes, it is an family favourite.

      Reply
    11. Heather

      March 24, 2015 at 8:02 pm

      I don't like to use corn syrup either so I substitute for equal amount of "real" maple syrup.

      Reply
    12. Wendy

      December 17, 2015 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Lauren, I just took these out of the oven and they look amazing! I never change a recipe the 1st time I make it, but I don't use Caro Syrup, so I sub honey for that. I tried one when they were still hot and they taste yummy! I took a couple photos, but didn't see an option to upload.

      Thanks so much for this recipe! My 1st time making tarts!

      Reply
    13. Liz martin

      December 21, 2015 at 7:44 am

      There are pre made shells available in most grocery stores that are "acceptable" and better than none.

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        December 21, 2015 at 8:52 am

        agreed Liz, I love homemade ones, but the store bought ones are totally acceptable.

        Reply
    14. Liz martin

      December 21, 2015 at 7:47 am

      Golden is a brand name and the syrup is golden. I just use hat ever syrup is available

      Reply
    15. Jillian

      May 19, 2016 at 9:19 am

      If I wanted to add raisins or pecans how much should I add to this recipe? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        May 20, 2016 at 8:20 am

        Hi Jillian, sorry for the delay in answering your question. I would add about a cup of raisin or pecans.

        Reply
        • Jillian

          May 20, 2016 at 5:20 pm

          Thank you!

          Reply
    16. Trudy

      September 29, 2016 at 5:42 pm

      These look amazing, would these freeze well

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        September 29, 2016 at 11:03 pm

        Yes they do Trudy.

        Reply
    17. Laureen King

      December 18, 2016 at 6:50 pm

      Thanks for the helpful tip Carole, I haven't run into the problem of my tarts sticking but maybe because my tart pan are non stick type.

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        December 19, 2016 at 4:58 pm

        Thank you Carole for the great tip, I really appreciate when someone shares helpful ideas. Have a terrific Holiday Season

        Reply
    18. Elaine

      July 01, 2017 at 10:57 am

      Maple syrup is the very best for the filling - they will be runny, though!

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        July 01, 2017 at 5:11 pm

        Maple syrup sounds great as well Elaine!

        Reply
    19. Mary

      September 21, 2017 at 2:32 pm

      4 stars
      This worked so well. Best tip I've had in ages. Thanks.

      Reply
    20. Joanne

      October 14, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      I had so much trouble with the pastry, I used the full 1/2 cup of ice water but I couldn't get the pastry to stick together it was crumbly and very, very dry. Don't know what I did wrong, this is a first for me.
      Anyway I'll try and squeeze it together &a roll it out. Wish me luck.

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        October 14, 2017 at 6:10 pm

        Hi Joanne, I'm perplexed, its so hard to see what happened without seeing it. Did you blend correct amount of butter with the flour and use a pastry blender until it was a mealy consistency before add cold water?

        Reply
        • Lidia

          December 10, 2017 at 3:18 am

          What do you use if you have no pastry blender?

          Reply
          • Laureen King

            December 10, 2017 at 6:19 pm

            two knives would work

            Reply
    21. Kaitlyn

      December 14, 2017 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      These came out excellent. I managed to get a full 2 dozen though, how thick do you roll your pastry? And what cook time&temp would you suggest for the mini tarts in your pictures?

      Reply
    22. Daryl

      March 21, 2018 at 11:01 am

      Store bought do not touch homemade, for pastry. These are all butter and ones with lard/shortening are not nearly as flacky

      Reply
      • Liz

        July 02, 2018 at 12:43 pm

        I disagree I make butter tarts I have been working with pastry for over 30 years & my pastry is beautiful nice & flakey & tasty every time ! I garrentee it !

        Reply
        • Vicki

          November 14, 2018 at 4:44 pm

          5 stars
          I agree. I only use tenderflake lard and follow the recipe on the box. Very flaky pastry every time. Almost a fail proof recipe.

          Reply
    23. Nancy

      May 16, 2018 at 8:49 pm

      5 stars
      I just made and used phyllo shells. Dont know if i spelled right. But turned out wonderful. Buttery and flaky. Probably lots cheaper to make ur own, but I didn't want to fool with making own this time. Considering how good they turned out, probably will continue to use store bought round shells. Husband has already dated 5!!

      Reply
    24. Brandi

      August 01, 2018 at 5:29 am

      This is a great idea! I have been using the small silicone trays and pushing them up out of the pan once cooled. I will try your method with metal pans. Thanks!

      Reply
    25. Cris

      November 20, 2018 at 6:59 pm

      I assume you used a regular muffin pan, or are these with a mini pan?

      Reply
      • Laureen King

        November 20, 2018 at 8:24 pm

        Hi Cris, yes regular sized muffin pan.

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    I am Laureen, creator of Art and the Kitchen. On my blog you will find a collection or amazing recipes from homestyle-comfort food, gourmet and exceptional baking recipes! Read more!

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