Butter Tart Squares Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do my butter tarts fall apart? ›

If you try to unmould butter tarts when they are warm, or worse, straight out of the oven, you will likely break them. Don't hurry the cooling process. Just walk away, let them cool, and then you can start to unmould.

These buttery mini pies, typically baked in a muffin tin, have a flaky crust filled with a gooey mixture of butter, sugar, syrup, egg, and sometimes raisins or nuts. They bear some resemblance to the American pecan pie and British treacle tart, but their uniquely rich flavor sets them apart.

-- To avoid "gritty" butter tarts, caramelize sugar first by blending on the stovetop with butter, syrup and vanilla. Let it cool before adding eggs to the mixture or they'll be scrambled.

When making a pie or tart there is no need to grease the tin before you line it with pastry – the high butter content in the pastry will naturally stop it from sticking to the tin.

A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom. (Using metal is crucial: Glass or ceramic pans don't transfer heat as efficiently, so they can be accomplices to a sad, soggy bottom.)

If you stir the filling too much, the eggs will hold air. That air rises in the oven causing the filling to puff up, then sinks in the center when the tarts are removed from the oven. To make sure your filling is just the right texture, I recommend whisking by hand only until just combined.

You can use cold unsalted margarine for the butter if desired, or you can use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of shortening.

You can replace the quantity of butter in grams with the same amounts of oil in grams, and there is nothing more to it than that!

Purists say true butter tarts should not contain raisins or nuts. For Currie and March of Wasaga Beach, Ont., they have to have raisins. Some like runny fillings, some firm. Some like thick pastry shells while others like thin so the filling stars.

Bake at 200F for 15 min, then without taking the tarts out, turn the oven to 350°F Bake another 10-15 min, until they start to brown. This method will prevent them from boiling over.

Why do my butter tarts crystallize? ›

Sucrose naturally wants to crystalize, which is how granulated sugar is made from simple sugars like fructose and glucose. To reduce the amount of crystallization in the butter tart filling when baking, try adding some acidity (i.e. lemon juice or 1 spoon of corn syrup).

You could be forgiven if you've never eaten a butter tart. There is no flashy frosting or elaborate lattice to entice you. It's easy to pass by. But Canadians will tell you that these diminutive treats hold an expanse of flavor and textures: flaky pastry, caramelized crust and a bracingly sweet filling.

Q: Can you make a tart in a pie pan? A: If you're in a pinch, you can certainly press your tart shell into a pie pan and fill it. The presentation, though, won't be as nice and you will have some difficulting slicing and serving. The better substitute for a tart pan is a springform pan.

Holes in the dough will cause the filling to seep under the pastry, causing the tarts to stick to the pan. Toasting Nuts: You don't have to toast nuts when making butter tarts; they toast as the tarts bake in the oven.

This is entirely up to you! I don't think you need it, but you can certainly use a parchment paper round on the bottom of the pie dish to prevent sticking. I don't recommend having the parchment paper come up the sides of the dish as the wrinkles will bake into the crust and can be hard to unstick later.

Once again, this will happen if the water evaporates out of the pastry before the heat can set it in shape. This will result in the all-too-common side collapses for blind baked tarts. So to recap – go easy on the water, chill until firm, and heat your oven to 180-200C to set your shape.

Overmixing the dough

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

Another tip, if the sugar and butter mixture appears slightly curdled, the butter was likely too warm or was beaten for too long. If that happens, don't worry. You can refrigerate the mixture for 5-10 minutes without risking the integrity of your recipe. After it regains some firmness, beat the mixture until creamy.

The most common reasons why your tart has cracked is because the oven was too hot or the tart baked too long and overbaked. We recommend pulling your lemon tart from the oven when it's still a little jiggly in the middle when the pan is gently shaken.