Cape Breton Date Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Tart shells: Sift together flour and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Cut in 1 cup butter; knead until well blended. Form dough into 3/4 inch balls. Press evenly into 1 1/2 inch tart cups on the bottom and up the sides to form a shell.
• Bake in preheated oven until pale gold, about 16 minutes. Let shells cool in the pan. Gently loosen and remove them from pan using a knife.
• Filling: Combine dates, water, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Mash dates with a fork as they cook. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow mixture to cool before spooning into tart shells.
• Icing: Cream 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar while continuing to mix. Add the milk, remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, and maple extract. Beat at high speed until smooth. Icing should be thick enough to pipe. Spoon mixture into pastry bag with a small round or star-shaped tip. Pipe a swirl of icing on each tart.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Sift together flour and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in 1 cup butter; knead until well blended. Form dough into 3/4 inch balls. Press evenly into 1 1/2 inch tart molds, pressing up the sides to form a shell. Bake in preheated oven until pale gold, about 16 minutes. Let shells cool in the pan. Gently loosen and remove them from pan using a knife.
• Combine dates, orange juice, water, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Mash dates with a fork as they cook. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow mixture to cool before spooning into tart shells.
• Cream 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar while continuing to mix. Add the milk, remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, and maple extract. Beat at high speed until smooth. Icing should be thick enough to pipe. Spoon mixture into pastry bag with a small round or star-shaped tip. Pipe a swirl of icing on each tart.

Steps:

• Sift the flours, baking powder and salt.
• Set them aside.
• Cream the butter.
• Beat in the brown sugar and then the egg.
• Mix the dry ingredients in alternately with the milk to make a soft biscuit-like dough.
• Pat it out to about 1 inch thick on a floured board, and form it into a neat circle.
• Cut it into 8 or 12 wedges, and bake them at 350°F on a lightly greased cookie sheet, until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Less traditional but speedier is to scoop them out with an ice-cream scoop from the mixing bowl onto the cookie sheet.
• Flatten them slightly, and bake as above.
• Using this method, you will probably get 8 scones.