Genuine Canadian Butter Tarts - Without Corn Syrup

 

I had never had a butter tart before moving here to Canada. They may have existed in New York, but I had never had one.

I'm not a huge fan of butter tarts, though my husband, at true Canuck, loves them. He asked me to make a batch of tarts as the ones at the grocery store are expensive and taste like chemicals.

Usually, I don't make tarts, I make Butter Tart Squares. I'm not a fan of the pastry crust in the tarts, I prefer the shortbread base of the squares, but I like my husband and he asked for tarts.

I looked on the internet to see if there was a good recipe for tarts, I was APPALLED to see recipes, "real" Canadian recipes they claimed, that used corn syrup! Ick. They went to all the trouble of making homemade pastry and then used corn syrup. No way was I going to use corn syrup in my tarts, so I used my Butter Tart Square filling recipe.

However, I did use commercial pastry shells. I know I should have made my own crusts, but these days I am more pressed for time than before, so I bailed on the shells. Mea cupla.

The crust of these tarts are crunchy, and tasting of brown sugar. We like it, but you may find that you do not. Maybe a longer bake at a lower temperature (400F for 25- 30 minutes) would prevent the crunchy crust.

Butter Tarts
makes 12 tarts

12 mini tart shells
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
120 raisins (10 per tart shell)

Preheat oven to 450F.

If using homemade crust, make the dough and line 12 muffin cups with the pastry. If using commercial shells, place a shell (still in it's little aluminum tin) inside each muffin cup of a muffin tin. It's easier this way.

Place 10 raisins in the bottom of each shell. You can use more or less, but I found 10 is just enough for us.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Fill each tart shell to just about the top of the shell, about 6/8ths full.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until tarts are set. Watch carefully as they may burn. You can reduce the oven temperature, or remove them if they start burning.

When baked, remove from oven and let cool. Do NOT be tempted to eat the until they are room temperature!! Trust me, they will taste terrible if you don't wait- I speak from experience.