Cranberry-pecan butter tarts

Instructions

• Place 1 ¾ cups (425 mL) flour, 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar and salt in a food processor. Whirl until mixed. Add cold butter. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add ice-cold water, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, pulsing just until dough comes together. Or stir flour with sugar and salt in a bowl. Using two forks, mix in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Using a fork, work in water, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until dough can be shaped into a ball. Flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold enough to easily roll out, about 20 min.

• For filling, place cranberries and rum in a small bowl. Microwave on medium-high for 30 sec. In another bowl, stir ½ cup (125 mL) sugar with 3 tbsp (45 mL) flour. Pour corn syrup into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Stir sugar mixture into corn syrup mixture until blended. Set aside.

• Place rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Oil or spray a 12-cup muffin tin. Lightly flour counter and roll out cold dough no thicker than ¼ in. (0.5 cm). (Thin dough works best.) Using a 4-in. (10-cm) round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles, re-rolling dough pieces if necessary. Ease a pastry circle into each muffin cup, ruffling top edge as needed. Sprinkle 1 heaping tsp (7 mL) of rum-soaked cranberries into each shell, followed by 2 pecan halves. Pour corn syrup mixture into pastry shells until each is about three-quarters full. Bake on bottom rack of oven until filling is bubbly and top is golden, 18 to 20 min. While still warm, run a knife tip around edges of tarts. Cool completely in tin. Tarts will keep well at room temperature up to 1 day, covered and refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month.