Butter Tarts Recipe a Classic Canadian Favorite

Butter tarts are a Canadian classic and a Christmas must-have recipe. They are full of sweet buttery flavor as their name implies, with a chewy caramel slightly running filling. Today I am sharing my mom’s recipe, she would be over 100 years old now, and I still remember her with her apron on, and the kitchen counters covered with butter tarts. She made and sold hundreds of them every year for extra Christmas money. The neighbors ordered my mom’s homemade butter tarts year after year. Today I am sharing her tried and true Canadian butter tarts recipe.

This recipe is by far the best for butter tarts, thanks to the use of currants instead of raisins. Raisins tend to be overly sweet, and my mother always insisted on using currants when she made butter tarts. While many people and bakeries opt for golden raisins as a cheaper alternative, I encourage you to try currants the first time you make them. If you like, you can experiment with raisins or pecans the next time, or try maple syrup instead of corn syrup.

Old Fashioned Butter Tart Ingredients

Old fashioned butter tarts start with homemade pastry. You can use any pie dough recipe you like. Here is my full recipe for pie crust. it’s the one my Mom taught me, and I share all my tips for making your pastry.

Butter tarts can be made in two sizes. My mom traditionally baked them in the larger muffin pan, but you can also make smaller, mini tarts using a tart tin.

Step One – The Pastry

Roll your pie crust out on a well-floured work surface, then cut into circles using a large glass, 4-inch-diameter cookie cutter, or biscuit cutter. Line the muffin cups (Or tart cups) with the pie crust.

Step Two – The Butter Tart Filling

For 1 dozen large or two dozen small butter tarts you will need:

Place the currants in a small bowl, cover them with boiling water, and let them soak until soft and plump, about ten minutes.

Drain the currants and place a heaping teaspoon of currants in each muffin tin, or 8-10 currants in the bottom of each tiny tart tin.

Note: Lots of butter tart recipes mix the currants into the sugary filling first and then put them in the tart tins. My mother taught me to do it separately so you can see how many you’re putting in the pastry shells.  That way you don’t end up with too many currants in one tart, and not enough in another.   

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Butter tart filling is super simple to make. Place the melted butter in a medium bowl, and let it cool slightly, before adding the eggs, salt, vanilla, and corn syrup Beat until well combined.

Whichever size tart you’re making, fill your tart shells about 2/3 full, I like to use a tablespoon for this. The butter tart filling rises while baking, so be careful not to overfil them.

Step 3 – Baking

Place on the middle oven rack, and bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes until the crust is just golden brown.

Remove the tarts from the oven, place them on a wire rack, and allow them to cool slightly before lifting from the muffin pan. To lift the tarts, carefully run a bread knife around the outside edge before pushing the knife edge under the tart, then lift it out.

Butter tarts are delicious served warm, but be careful not to serve them hot. The inside moist gooey filling can burn the tongue if served right out of the oven. Even Hubs learned to let them sit for 15 before digging it.

Can You Freeze Butter Tarts?

Butter tarts freeze well, I bake mine before freezing, and let them cool to room temperature before wrapping them well in parchment bundles so I can just grab six at a time for serving. As butter tarts have a flaky crust, they are tender and will likely break if placed in plastic bags. The best way to freeze them is to wrap them in parchment and then place them in an airtight container.

How Long Do Frozen Butter Tarts Last?

Your butter tarts will freeze well for up to 3 months. Pull them out of the freezer an hour before serving and you’re all good. My brothers used to steal lots of these right out of the freezer so we always had to stash them.

If you’re not ready to bake tarts today, please pin it to make later.

Other Pie Recipes to Try

Here are some other pie recipes you may want to check out.