Butter Tarts (2024)

FAQs

What is butter tart filling made of? ›

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.

Does America have butter tarts? Yes, any decent bakery will typically carry butter tarts, that quintessential Canadian pastry.

History. Butter tarts became common in pioneer Canadian cooking, and they remain a characteristic pastry of Canada. It is primarily eaten in and associated with the English-speaking provinces of Canada.

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.

If your butter tarts unfortunately turn out too soggy, it's likely your filling was too watered down or your pastry was rolled too thin. Next time, make sure your pastry is only rolled out to a 1/4-inch-thickness. It may take a couple tries to perfect your butter tart, and that's totally OK!

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.

And American pies, which in England always have a pastry lid, often appeared in the U.S. version to be like English tarts, with their jewel-colored filling open to the sky.

Grandmothers Bake Shoppe Pecan Butter Tarts, 15 Pack | Costco.

Butter tarts are indeed a popular Canadian pastery. The phrase butter tart, as used in the song, is also slang for a woman's parts.

With a gooey, just-set filling made with butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and eggs, butter tarts are hard not to love. They have comforting notes of caramel and butterscotch and are perfect when you want something small and sweet.

What is a British tart? ›

In the 19th century, tart was British slang for "pretty woman." Some believe it is a shortening of "sweetheart." But by the end of that century, tart described a prostitute, something many language scholars trace back to the tart that you get at the bakery. Definitions of tart. adjective.

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, butter tarts are a result of the filles du roi, or the King's Daughters, who were young French women sent to Quebec in the 17th century.

Since launching, thousands of Americans have tasted them at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn and are raving about them. They've been featured on national TV, and many American food publications.

Butter tarts most often boil over because they were filled too full before baking. Try to only fill each tart 2/3 full with filling so there's plenty of room for bubbling and expansion.

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).

What is the filling in a fruit tart? Fruit tarts are generally filled with pastry cream made from milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar corn starch, and butter.

Pie crusts and tart shells can be made from several types of dough or crumbs. Flaky dough, mealy dough and crumbs are best for pie crusts; sweet dough is usually used for tart shells. Fillings make pies and tarts distinctive and flavorful. Four types of fillings are common: cream, fruit, custard and chiffon.

Cream together sugar, salt, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add yolk and vanilla and beat to incorporate. Add flour and mix until a dough forms. Press dough squarely and evenly into the tart pan and trim off the edges.

Some say that scattering small bits of butter over a fruit filling keeps the juices from bubbling over in the same way that adding a bit of fat to simmering jam keeps it from foaming up in the preserving pan. The theory is that the fat disrupts the formation of bubbles on the surface of the viscous fruit mixture.