Canadian Butter Tarts

Canadian Butter Tarts are a sensational treat. This recipe allows for a crisp-but-flaky pastry shell, a slightly runny filling, and a rich caramel flavour. Find out why these are one of Canada’s most popular desserts!

Canadian butter tarts are a national obsession: that perfectly flaky shell, that sweet, buttery, caramel filling, all that melt-in-your-mouth goodness, and the great raisin debate…who could resist?

You don't have to be Canadian to enjoy the perfect Canadian Butter Tart. For those of you that haven't yet been able to experience this delicious dessert, it's similar to a Pecan Pie. However, the filling in butter tarts is ever so slightly runnier, and pecans aren't a necessary component in a butter tart recipe (but are often included, because yummy).

this recipe

Jump to:

• What are Canadian butter tarts
• Ingredients
• How to make Canadian butter tarts
• Tips
• Easy variations
• Canadian Butter tart recipe, Updated
• Helpful tools
• Storing butter tarts
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What are Canadian butter tarts

Butter tarts are small pastries with a sweet, caramel filling. They are one of the most popular desserts in Canada. They are generally accepted as a Canadian recipe (though, as with most traditional recipes, there are several origin tales), with their proven origins dating back to the very early 1900s.

The best butter tart recipe? 

I attended a cooking class with Chef Shai Mandel who taught me her wonderful butter tart recipe. It's reproduced here in its entirety with her permission. (Because something as delicious as this, should never be kept a secret!)

As for what constitutes, the best butter tart recipe…well, that's going to depend quite a bit on you. This recipe results in a crisp but flaky shell, and a slightly runny filling with a rich caramel flavour to it. Some people prefer their filling to be as runny as a river, and others prefer firmer fillings.

Canadian butter tarts & The Great Raisin Debate 

I would be amiss writing a post about butter tarts while not addressing The Great Raisin Debate that has plagued taste buds for decades. Here's the gist, one group of people feel that butter tarts taste great with raisins in them; the other group does not agree.

Where do I stand on it? Honestly, I don't think people need to worry about it as much as they do. Everyone is entitled to enjoy whatever flavour combination tickles their taste buds, and no one should ever be made to feel bad for enjoying (or not enjoying) the addition of raisins to a butter tart recipe.

Personally, I don't really like raisins in my butter tarts. But it's not as bad as when you discover an impostor raisin disguised as chocolate inside a chocolate chip cookie! 

An interesting fact about butter tarts is that it was believed they were made in Quebec by girls of marriageable age (filles à marier). In this version, from the 1600s, it was commonplace to include dried fruit such as raisins in butter tarts. 

Pecans are a wonderful (and optional) addition to this recipe. Depending who you speak to, pecans in a butter tart can be considered just as controversial as raisins. There’s a fair argument to be made that a butter tart with pecans is just a “pecan tart”. Do what works for you, bestie.

Ingredients

How to make Canadian butter tarts

To make the pastry

In a large bowl (medium will work too), combine the salt, sugar, flour, and shortening. Mix together.

Rub the vegetable shortening into the flour until it’s reduced to pea-sized crumbs, and then grate the cold butter into the flour. Toss the flour and butter lightly (just like you would a salad).

Add cold water little bits at a time, mixing in between additions. Mix just enough to incorporate with the flour mixture. This is important. Be careful not to over mix!

Transfer dough to a floured table or lightly floured surface. Shape into a thick disc. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

On a lightly-floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough and cut into 12 4-inch circles. Press the dough circles into the moulds of a muffin pan.

Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling (cold pastry going into a hot oven will be flakier).

To make the butter tart filling

Combine all the filling ingredients (except the pecans, if using). Mix well. If you’re included pecans (I am, because I like the humble pecan. You can even go with chopped pecans if you prefer), sprinkle the pecans on bottom of the pastry dough (in the muffin tin).

Fill the tart shells two thirds full with filling mixture. Bake on bottom shelf of your oven at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Remove the butter tarts from the muffin pan, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For firmer fillings

If you want a firmer, less runny filling add an additional egg, increase the brown sugar to ¾ cup and decrease the corn syrup to ¼ cup.

Tips

When working with dough be careful not to overwork the dough. You want to work it just enough to create a ball, but not so much that it becomes tough.

You can cut the dough using a round cookie cutter or a knife if you don’t have a formal “pastry cutter”. 

Be sure not to skip the chilling stage. This step allows the butter and vegetable shortening to firm up before the butter tarts go into the oven.

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Easy variations

The easiest way to add some variation to butter tarts to is change-up any additions to the filling. For example, while I use pecans in this recipe, you can simply swap them for raisins, currants, chopped walnuts (any nuts, really), or even chocolate chips. Make sure not to overdo it though, a few pieces in each butter tart goes a long way – no more than a teaspoon per tart.

An old trick used by many Canadian bakers is to plump their raisins before adding them to the butter tart filling. I don’t particularly care for raisins so I never do this, but rum or juice are usually what’s used.

Maple syrup filling. Some argue that truly authentic butter tarts can never be made with corn syrup. In this case, the one-third cup corn syrup can be swapped out with a one-third cup maple syrup. If you’re opting for this variation, please do make sure to use proper maple syrup.

Want an even easier variation? Sure, just toss a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream on to your tart.

Using store-bought pie crust

If you’re looking to skip the dough step of this recipe, you can use store-bought a pie dough instead. Unlike many pie recipes, the pastry dough for butter tarts do not require any blind baking stage – just fill ’em up, and toss them in the oven! 

Canadian Butter tart recipe, Updated

This recipe was originally published on May 31st, 2018. It has since been updated with new photos, a recipe video, and plenty of information to help you make the best homemade butter tarts! 

In order to provide a more helpful post, some sections from the original post have been omitted in their entirety – namely a large section devoted to my Master’s thesis, and the story of a classmate who put a literal curse on me. If you’re interested, you can read that here. 

Helpful tools

The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.

• Nonstick Muffin Pan - you'll need this (or something similar) to bake in!
• Bake with Anna Olson - if you're afflicted with any basic baking issues this book probably has a recipe to help you work through it!

Storing butter tarts

Butter tarts can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. It’s recommended to keep them refrigerated in an airtight container, and they will keep for up to five days. 

Can you freeze butter tarts?

Yes. Homemade butter tarts can be frozen for up to one month. Make sure to allow the tarts to cool to room temperature, and wrap each tart individually in clingfilm before freezing. Just be aware that due to the flaky nature of the butter tart shell, it may lose some of its crispiness or shape when thawing.

And that’s it. That’s everything you need to know to make the best Canadian butter tart recipe. Have you tried butter tarts? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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