Ontario - Butter Tarts

Before starting our province blogs, we both didn’t know that Butter Tarts were a Canadian thing. As you can probably tell, this week the spotlight is on Butter Tarts which originated in Barrie, Ontario in 1900.

A traditional English Canadian Butter Tart consists of butter, sugar, and eggs in a tart shell. Many people add currents, raisins, or sometimes pecans to their tarts. Some people like them runnier and some thicker, it all depends on the person. I’m an original butter tart person. I like it plain and thick and gooey.

Apparently the recipe is “completely Canadian in origin.” As we said earlier, the butter tart originated in Barrie, Ontario in the Women’s Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook. There is an annual Butter Tart Festival held at the Muskoka Lakes each year as well as an Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival and Contest held in Midland, Ontario.  There is a Butter Tart Trail in Wellington, North Ontario and a Butter Tart Tour in Kawarthas Northumberland, Ontario.

A little while ago I had a craving for Butter Tarts, so I looked up and researched some easy recipes. The ones that my parents made when I was little seemed to take a really long time and there were lots of steps. I wanted something  little easier, so I found an awesome recipe that is super easy to follow. We are going to make them so you can see the steps below.

Classic Canadian Butter Tarts

You will need:

Tart shells. If you have a recipe for tart crust then feel free to use it. I use frozen tart shells because it’s way easier and less time consuming, but if you have the time and patience, try out a homemade tart shell recipe. 

Filling:

½ cup lightly packed brown sugar

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup raisins or currents if like them and are using them

How to: 

Combine all of the filling ingredients except raisins.

Mix well.

Sprinkle raisins/currents if you’re using them in a single layer in the bottom of the pastry lined muffin cups.

Fill ⅔ full with syrup mixture.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool completely on a wire rack and remove tarts from pans.

*If you like a thicker gooey filling like I do then add an extra egg and add more brown sugar (so ¾ cups instead) and less corn syrup (1/4 cup).


Enjoy!