Butter tart
A small flaky pastry shell holding a gooey filling of butter, brown sugar and egg, often with raisins or pecans. It is sweet, sticky and a Canadian treasure.

ButtertartS1360020: Alex Lozupone, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Where it comes from
Butter tarts are a Canadian specialty with roots in early pioneer kitchens. They appear at bake sales and bakeries across Ontario and beyond.
Explore the cuisine of Canada.
Recipe
Make Butter tart at home
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 to 4 tbsp ice water
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins or pecans
- 1/4 cup corn syrup or maple syrup
How it's made
- Make the pastry by rubbing cold butter into flour and salt, adding water until it holds; chill 30 minutes.
- Roll out thinly and cut rounds to line a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and syrup.
- Divide the raisins among the shells, then spoon in the filling until two-thirds full.
- Bake at 400 F (200 C) for 15 to 18 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the pastry golden.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift out gently.
Variations
- Pecan butter tart: with toasted pecans.
- Maple butter tart: filling sweetened with maple syrup.
- Runny or firm: bake shorter for gooey, longer for set.
Cook’s tip: Do not overfill the shells or the filling will bubble over and stick.
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About this page
Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.
Photo credit
- ButtertartS1360020: Alex Lozupone, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
