These traditional Canadian butter tarts have a brown sugar crust on top and a soft center that stays gooey even at room temperature. Top them with a few pecans for a tasty individual dessert!

Level
Intermediate
Prep Time
40 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Serves
7

Ingredients

Tart Crust
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ½ cup cold butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
  • ¼ to ½ cup ice water
Tart Filling
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Tart Crust

  1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. 
  2. Add shortening and butter to the flour mixture and use both hands to work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
  3. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together and forms a ball. 
  4. Gently gather dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in fridge 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  6. On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough disk to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut out a 6-inch circle of dough and press it into one of the mini cake pan molds, trimming excess dough on top. (Do not stretch dough, or it will shrink during baking.) Repeat until all 7 cake pan molds are filled.

Tart Filling

  1. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, eggs, butter, heavy cream, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
  2. Spoon mixture into dough-lined mini cake pan, filling each round ¾ full. 
  3. Bake tarts for 30 minutes or until filling is set, rotating once.
  4. Allow tarts to cool completely in the pan.
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