How To Make Butter Tarts

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and if you’re an avid foodie like me, you might be wondering what mouthwatering baked goods you can make this year. This old fashioned, melt-in-your-mouth butter tart pastry is a combination of flaky, buttery crust and firm, saccharine filling.

The recipe is made without corn syrup, the filling sweetened instead with maple syrup, brown sugar, and the chewy addition of raisins. Let’s get baking.

Step #1. Prepare Ingredients & Tools

Step #2. Make the Butter Tart Filling

Mix brown sugar, melted butter, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar thoroughly. Reserve.

Step #3. Make the Butter Tart Pastry

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the butter and mix with a wooden spoon until partially blended. Add water, egg yolk and vinegar and continue combining with the wooden spoon.

Once it’s easy to manipulate, place over a floured surface, sprinkle with a bit of flour and knead until soft and smooth.

Step #4. Roll the Dough Out & Cut Out Circles

Use a rolling pin to spread the dough out. Cut out 9 circles with a 4” round cutter.

Step #5. Place Dough Discs in Muffin Tray

Oil a muffin tray, and place the dough discs inside. They should be placed at the bottom and slightly up the edges.

Step #6. Sprinkle in Some Raisins

Place a few raisins in each tart.

Step #7. Add the Brown Sugar Mixture

Pour the brown sugar mixture over the raisins into each tart, leaving some room at the top of the pastry.

Step #8. Bake the Butter Tarts

Bake for around 15 minutes – or until filling is set. Let them cool before removing from muffin tin.

Step #9. Serve & Enjoy

There’s such a huge selection of tarts, from pecan to cranberry, that butter tarts are often overlooked. But come holiday season, these are definitely on my baking list!

Rather than buying pre-made crust shells, this recipe gives you easy instructions on making the actual pastry. The ingredients are likely already in your kitchen: flour, butter, egg yolk, and… vinegar? Yep, you read that right!

What does vinegar do in butter tarts? Some say because the filling is so wonderfully sweet, the apple cider vinegar helps balance it out for a rustic, full-bodied, tangy flavor.

In the pastry itself, the vinegar helps to provide a tender, flaky crust by slightly inhibiting gluten development. If you want a firmer filling, just add another egg yolk.

Now that you know how to make butter tarts from scratch, you can bake a ton of these little bite-sized pastries in preparation for family gatherings and holiday parties. They freeze quite well, sometimes even tasting better when cold.

Did you know that butter tarts are traditionally Canadian? That explains the maple syrup!

Do you like your butter tarts runny or firm? With or without raisins?! Let us know in the comments.

Another tasty holiday recipe:

Brandy Alexander Cocktail Recipe

Looking to further enhance your cooking skills? Check out…How to Make Cinnamon Buns