Butter Tarts I Food

AWARD-WINNING BUTTER TARTS

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.

BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Cream the butter, sugar and eggs well. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
• Pour batter into tart shells, no more than half full. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Watch carefully!!--they'll burn quickly. Filling will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or so. Liquid coffee creamer can be used for cream. Use any good pie pastry for shells.

THE BEST BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sift dry ingredients together.
• With a pastry cutter, blend in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add the ice water gradually until dough forms.
• Pat dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick.
• With a cookie cutter, cut out ten 3 1/2-inch circles.
• Press the circles into 10 cups of a muffin tin.
• Put the muffin tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the freezer, place pieces of tin foil in each shell and fill with pie weights.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove foil and pie weights and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, until pastry is golden and set.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• In a medium bowl, lightly beat together the egg, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt.
• Divide the raisins among the shells.
• Divide the mixture among the shells and bake until set, about 15 minutes.
• Let cool 5 minutes.
• Remove tarts from pan and cool on a wire rack.

CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 170C/ conventional 190C/gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so it's slightly thinner than straight from the pack. Then cut out 18-20 rounds with a 7.5cm fluted cutter, re-rolling the trimmings. Use the rounds to line two deep 12-hole tart tins (not muffin tins). If you only have a regular-sized, 12-hole tart tin you will be able to make a few more slightly shallower tarts.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients except the walnuts. Tip this mixture into a pan and stir continuously for 3-4 minutes until the butter melts, and the mixture bubbles and starts to thicken. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Don't overcook, and be sure to stir all the time as the mixture can easily burn. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts.
• Spoon the filling into the unbaked tart shells so it's level with the pastry. Bake for 15-18 minutes until set and pale golden. Leave in the tin to cool for a few minutes before lifting out on to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Combine all the above ingredients.
• Fill tarts shells 2/3 full.
• Bake at 375* for 18 minutes.

BUTTER TART FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix the brown sugar into the melted butter.
• Add the vanilla, vinegar and lemon juice.
• Beat the eggs lightly and add to mixture; add corn syrup.
• Sprinkle 5 or 6 raisins (or walnuts or pecans) into the bottom of each tart shell. These tarts are also delicious without anything in them.
• Ladle the filling into the tart shells, filling about 2/3 of each shell.
• Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until the filling is just barely set.
• Cool tarts and enjoy!

CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Prepare and refrigerate the pie dough.
• Roll the dough as you would for most pies, about ⅛-inch thick or a tad thinner. Don't worry about keeping it nice and round like you normally would.
• Using a 4-inch-diameter cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into as many circles as possible. Line each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with one of the circles, gently nudging it down into the bottom creases of the pan. Try not to stretch the dough as you work; it can help to use something blunt, like a narrow jar, to nudge the dough. The top edge of the dough circle should come to about the middle of the cup. Gather the scraps and reroll the dough if you need additional ­circles. Chill the pan in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Adjust one oven rack so it is in the lower position, and preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Combine the sugar, maple syrup, and butter in a mixing bowl. Whisk briefly. Add the egg, vinegar, vanilla, and salt, and whisk again.
• Set the muffin pan on your work surface. If you're using the fruit or nuts, put a few pieces in as many of the shells as you wish, but don't crowd them. Use a ladle or ¼-cup measuring cup with a handle to divide the filling evenly between the shells.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the filling bubbles and darkens somewhat.
• Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully run a butter knife around the edge to loosen each tart. Let the tarts cool in the pan, then remove. Store, refrigerated, in a single layer in a covered tin or container, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine flour and salt.
• With pastry blender or two knives cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger pea-sized pieces.
• In a measuring cup, using a fork, beat egg with vinegar.
• Add enough cold water to make 1 cup; mix well.
• Drizzle into flour mixture a bit at a time, mixing in with a fork, until dough looks evenly moistened and holds together when pressed between fingers. (The recipe says you may not need to use all of the liquid; I always do and then add up to another third of a cup of water to get it to the moisture level I like).
• Divide dough into 6 equal balls.
• The recipe says to wrap each ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. I often make it in advance to this stage; it can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. If you're not going to use all the pastry, this is the point where I freeze the extra.
• Roll on a lightly floured surface. I usually let it warm up a bit, otherwise it's too crumbly from being cold. Each ball makes 1 single pie crust; 2 balls makes a double-crust or lattice-crust pie. When I made the butter tarts the other day I had 6 balls of dough and made 4 dozen butter tarts. Somehow 24 hours later they're all gone.
• For the filling beat the egg, add the brown sugar and beat again.
• Add the water, vanilla and butter.
• Add the raisins.
• Drop mixture into tart shells to almost half-full.
• Bake in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. Check times and keep a close eye on them. I bake mine at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, but I have a really wonky oven that I detest, lol!

CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS

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.

BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Make the shells: In a processor, blend the flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening until mixture resembles meal; transfer to a bowl and add 2-3 tblsps of ice water, or enough to form dough; knead dough briefly on a floured surface and chill it, wrapped plastic wrap, for 1 hour; roll out dough 3/8 inch thick on a floured surface, cut into rounds with a 4 1/2 inch cutter, and fit the rounds into 1/3 cup muffin tins.
• Make the filling: In a bowl beat the egg, vanilla and butter until well-combined and stir in brown sugar and vinegar; spoon filling into shells and bake in a preheated 400F (205C) oven for 15 minutes; let cool 5 minutes; carefully remove from tins and let cool completely.(filling will be thin and runny while hot but will firm up as it cools).
• Note: Many like raisins in their butter tarts (I don't); if you are one of them, add 1/4 cup raisins to the filling mixture.