Classic Butter Tarts Recipes

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.

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Butter Tart Pastry
• Sift flour, salt and sugar together.
• Using pastry blender cut butter into flour mix until resembles course meal.
• Add cold water a bit at a time until dough just starts to hold together. (too much water will make for a tough dough).
• Press dough together and shape into disk.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out tart dough and cut 16 4-inch circles.
• Press dough in muffin cups (try not to stretch dough).
• Refrigerate until filling is prepared.
• Butter Tart Filling
• In large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir until butter is creamed and sugar is dissolved.
• Add eggs, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix well.
• Fill tart shells with filling.
• Bake 400F for 15-20 minutes.
• Filling should be lightly browned and still bubbling.
• Let tarts cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

CLASSIC BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Roll pie dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out circles of dough to fit cups of standard muffin tin. Gently place into muffin cups.
• In a saucepan, melt butter and margarine over low heat just until melted. Stir in brown sugar, coconut, spices, nuts, salt, eggs, lemon juice, and corn syrup. Mix well. Fill prepared muffin cups halfway with this mixture.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

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.