The Famous Canadian Butter Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Fill a cup with ice and water. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening to make pea-size pieces. Add the tablespoons of ice water from the cup until dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball. The dough is now complete. Put it into a plastic bag or wrap it up and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Cut the shells using a large glass or your smallest pot. You should have about 12 shells when finished. Put these shells into a greased muffin or tart pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
• Put walnuts and coconut on baking pan and roast for 5-10 minutes, until brown. Remove from oven and set temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Fill the bottom of each tart shell with about 10 raisins each.
• Whisk together sugar, egg, butter, vanilla and hot water. Add coconut and walnuts. Pour mixture into tart shells, filling 2/3 full and no more.
• Bake in 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before attempting to remove. Makes 12 tarts.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place tart shells on a baking sheet; sprinkle raisins evenly into the bottom of each tart shell.
• Whisk together butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl; whisk in egg. Pour mixture into tart shells; sprinkle each tart with walnuts.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastry is light brown and filling is bubbly, about 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, about 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Prepare muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting 4-inch (approx) circles; fit dough circles into muffin cups; set aside in fridge until ready to fill.
• In a small bowl, place raisins and cover with hot tap water; let stand on the counter for 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
• Drain raisins.
• Retrieve tart shells and divide raisins equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts.
• Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.
• Canadians fall into two camps about butter tarts and are quite loyal to their favourite type: runny or firm.
• I like runny-- the type that dribbles when you bite into one; if you like firm, bake them for the full 20 minutes, even adding another minute or two if you wish.
• Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place shells in muffin tin (if they do not have tinfoil cups of their own) Beat the eggs.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Put 1 tbsp in each shell and bake.
• (Do not worry about the small amount in shell they"swell" up during cooking) Bake 20-25 minutes till golden brown.
• Makes approximately 16 tarts.
• If desired, top with dash of whip cream.