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I am officially on a holiday for two whole weeks!! It is seriously an incomprehensible thought to me, so naturally instead of teaching I threw myself into baking.
Okay, I haven’t actually baked these butter tarts here (Brad did) but I did bake this truffle cake! I was just as surprised as you might be that my husband is such a master baker!
He kept telling me he was going to make butter tarts but I was thinking sure, sure I will believe you when I see them and then I received a photo while I was at work that looked sorta like this. Underneath the photo it read: You like?
Umm, yes I DOUBLE like! Would you like to be greeted by a hunky husband with a tray of flaky pastry tartlets filled with delicious golden custard, raisins and walnuts? I very much LIKE. 
The reason Brad was so set on making butter tarts is because it’s Christmas, he is Canadian through and through and everyone from the Truth North likes to have a butter tart or two… or a dozen during the festive season.
Butter tarts are as Canadian as maple syrup, hockey or beavers and just like Canada they are sweet and moreish because you always want more.
Brad has become quite a cook in the last 3 years and I am so proud of him, but baking is still a bit out of reach for him although after tasting his butter tarts I and all of my colleagues would agree he aced them…because the recipe is SO EASY!
How do you make Canadian Butter Tarts?
Although they look fiddly to make nothing could be further from the truth – a great treat to make with kids – and if you use a pre-made crust like Brad did nothing could be faster.
All you have to do is to roll out your pre-made pastry to ⅛″ thickness and cut out rounds to line your muffin tins using a 4″ round cutter or a regular glass, then fill them with the maple/nut mixture.
One thing to watch out for is spills around the muffin cups. You want to keep things fairly clean, otherwise your spilled filling will caramelise around the edges of the tarts while baking and it will become nearly impossible to remove them from the tin.
Butter Tarts
Ingredients
- 500 g/18 oz Pie Crust pre-made
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar packed
- ½ cup Maple syrup or golden syrup
- ⅓ cup Butter melted
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tbsp Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ cup Raisins
- ½ cup Walnuts optional
- 50 g White Chocolate melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F/180C.
- In a medium bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and salt and whisk until combined.
- Add raisins and chopped walnuts.
- Roll out the pastry to a ⅛" thickness and cut out rounds with a 4" pastry cutter or use a glass. (My glass was 3.5" in diameter)
- Line muffin tin cups with pastry rounds.
- Fill the muffin cups with the maple/nut mixture until ⅔ full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the custard is set and the pastry is golden.
- Run a knife around the edges of the tarts as soon as you remove them from the oven to release them from the tin. Let them cool for 15 min in the tin before removing.
- Melt white chocolate and drizzle over the butter tarts for a festive finish.
Nutrition
I hope you will give our butter tarts a go and tell me all about it. Until then I am signing off for the holidays!
~Merry Christmas!!!~
Karen says
I ‘ve lived only 90 miles from Canada for over 45 years but have never acquired a taste for maple syrup, so I would like to try it with golden syrup but am having trouble figuring out what that is. I looked it up online and saw it compared to light treacle, but I’ve no idea what that is either. Would either honey or corn syrup (light or dark) or molasses be a reasonable substitute?
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Hi Karen corn syrup will work great in this recipe. Golden syrup is a British thing. 🙂
Karen says
Thank you!
Kevin Chambers-Paston says
A hunky husband AND these delicious little tarts? I’m convinced! Where do I sign? 🙂
Lucy Parissi says
Despite having a Canadian husband I have never tasted these before. I think I need to put Keith to work! As you know my daughter still talks about the tarts she had at your house as THE BEST THING EVER!!
Hannah Hossack-Lodge (Domestic Gothess) says
I’ve never heard of butter tarts before, but they look amazing! They would make a lovely alternative to mince pies I think. Lucky you being greeted with a tray of freshly baked tarts, I don’t think my partner would ever attempt to bake anything (not that he needs to considering how much I bake myself…) x
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Gorgeous tarts! These look fabulous and I love that white chocolate drizzle! 🙂
Louise | Cygnet Kitchen says
Wow, you are lucky Julia!! Would Brad come and teach Steve to make these please, they look fabulous! xx
Lynn | The Road to Honey says
Wow! You are one lucky lady to be greeted by a photo like that. Not only do these tarts look absolutely divine but they are also beautifully presented. And that picture of the tart being cracked open. . .that scrumptious filling just sent me over the edge. . .wishing I had one in my hands right now.
vikalinka says
Thank you so much, Lynn! I love, love, love when my better half cooks for me, makes me feel so cared for!