Canadian Butter Tarts (2024)

In thinking about Thanksgiving pies to make this year, I was inspired to ask Google, “What are some classic Canadian Thanksgiving desserts?” My browser was immediately flooded with butter tarts and I was intrigued. Canadian butter tarts look like mini pecan pies minus the pecans and plus raisins or currants…sometimes. They bake up quickly in muffin tins and in my experience, they’re also devoured quickly, ideally while still warm and a bit runny.

About that runniness — butter tarts stir up some passion among Canadians. Apparently, you can be “team runny filling” or “team solid filling” and there is also debate about including raisins, currants, or nothing in the gooey filling. Then there’s the influence of the neighbor to the south resulting in toasted pecans in some tart recipes. That’s quite delicious but I’m actually really excited to be able to serve these butter tarts at holiday dinners to a couple of family members who are allergic to nuts and never get to eat the pecan pie.

I baked several batches of butter tarts to test different flours and fillings. Usually when I test a sweet recipe, I have to push the product on my savory-focused family. “Cake and scrambled eggs for breakfast, everyone!” Not so with these butter tarts; we ate them morning, noon, and night. Our taste testing yielded a preference for whole grain crust over high extraction and refined flour crusts because the whole grain flour seemed to hold the butter better and the crust was extra tender. We nixed raisins and currants because they made the tarts too sweet, though the added texture to the goo was fun. Toasted pecans were scrumptious but not necessary. Bottom line: Plain tarts were spectacular.

We’re on “team fully-gelled bake but served warm and therefore almost-runny” but, of course, you should experiment with your own flavor and texture preferences. Keep in mind that one batch of twelve tarts doesn’t have to be uniform. You can see in the Photo Gallery after the recipe that you can fill the crust cups with various combinations of currants, raisins, and pecans before pouring in the filling.

Ingredients

Dough

190 grams fresh milled Pima club wheat berries or other soft white wheat whole grain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt (1-2 grams)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed (113 grams/8 Tbsp)
1/4-1/3 cup cold water (60-80 grams)

Filling

220 grams light brown sugar (heaping 1 cup, packed)
1/2 tsp salt (3 grams)
2 eggs
1 tsp white vinegar (5 grams)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 grams)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (57 grams/4 Tbsp)
optional 1/4 cup raisins, soaked and patted dry
optional 1/2 cup pecans, toasted

Instructions

Whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the chilled cubed butter and cut it into the flour by hand or with a pastry blender until the butter pieces are about pea-sized. Drizzle in the cold water while mixing with a spatula. The dough will still be in pieces, but bring it together with your hands in the bowl. Transfer the dough to a clean, floured work surface to roll out, or wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.
Roll the dough out into a 12"x16" rectangle. Cut 12 circles using an English muffin ring or any cutter with a diameter close to 4 inches. The scraps can be pressed into the bases of the tarts.
Press the 12 dough circles into the cups of a muffin tin, non-stick if possible. Press gently so they fit the form of the cups and add the dough scraps into the base of the tarts.
Refrigerate the muffin tin for at least 15 minutes while you make the filling and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Toast the pecans and soak the raisins in hot water if you're using them.
In a bowl with a spout if possible, mix the filling ingredients together (except nuts and dried fruit). Add the melted butter last.
If using raisins, drain and pat them dry with a towel. Place raisins and/or toasted pecans in the bottom of the crusts.
Pour the filling into the crusts, about 1/2 to 3/4 inches high. The filling will puff upward when baking.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven temp to 400°F and bake an additional 8 minutes.
Remove the butter tarts from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin. If you don't have a non-stick pan, run a knife around the edge of the tarts a few minutes after you remove the pan from the oven, then continue to let them cool in the tin.

Photo Gallery

: Butter cut into flour

: Adding water

: Ready to roll

: Cutting

: Press into muffin cups

: Add scraps to tart bases

: Option to add raisins

: Pecans and currants

: Filling

: Ready to bake

: Cooling in the tin

: Serve warm if possible