The Only Butter Tart Recipe You’ll Ever Need
But the real question is, raisins or no raisins? Photo, Erik Putz.
One of the ultimate Canadian desserts, the butter tart is a mash-up of pecan pie and sugar pie in a small tart form. But with so many variations around, what’s the mark of a superior tart? Through extensive testing (and tasting), we decided that there are five characteristics that make this the best butter tart (get the recipe), ever:
Flaky pastry dough
Ours is a combination of lard for flakiness, and butter for flavour.
Golden baked crust
We bake it in a muffin pan on the bottom rack on high at 450F for 8 minutes, then reduce to 400F until golden to ensure the crust is baked—not pasty and raw.
Filling taste
The flavour is a balance of sweetness with a buttery finish. How did we get it? By using light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar overwhelms the balance and the maple syrup doesn’t shine. Plus, the right amount of vinegar offsets the sweetness of the sugar and corn syrup without tasting sour. (We tried it without vinegar and it wasn’t balanced.)
Filling consistency
It shouldn’t be too runny, but not solid either—you want a loosely set centre, without making a mess when you take a bite. The two baking temperatures used in this recipe address that conundrum beautifully.
How quickly they disappear from the cooling rack
That’s the real test, after all. Do they get to room temperature before they're all gone? We also developed three alternate butter tart fillings to go with these classic Canadian butter tarts recipe, and every single one vanished in record time!
Delicious butter tart variations
These are the three delicious alternate fillings included with our classic recipe.
Chocolate Butter Tarts
Bourbon Cranberry Butter Tarts
Pecan Butter Tarts
Need more butter tart inspo? Try these riffs
Maple Syrup Butter Tart Squares
These squares have all the flavour of classic butter tarts, but are way easier to make. Get this butter tart square recipe.
Cranberry-Pecan Butter Tarts
Your search for a party-worthy butter tarts stops here—our flaky pastry holds a rich filling that isn’t too runny or too thick. Get this cranberry-pecan butter tart recipe.
Butter Tart Muffins
This delightful recipe from Bonnie Deane of Niton Junction, Alta., finished first in our 1995 Great Canadian Muffin Bake-off and has become our most-requested muffin recipe ever. Get this butter tart muffins recipe.
Cranberry Butter Tart Squares
A holiday cookie-tin treat that's appropriate any time of year. Get this cranberry butter tart square recipe.
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