One of my favorite desserts is definitely butter tarts! Fortunately for my figure I don’t keep them around all the time because I would eat them all in one sitting, but since I only make them for special occasions they are a real treat!!
In Canada you can find butter tarts in grocery stores, gas stations and every grandmas’ freezer. They’re as Canadian as poutine, hockey and Tim Hortons.
I’m not sure where or from whom this recipe originated, but my relatives have used it forever. I’ve been adjusting it to be gluten and dairy free for a few years now.
Baking doesn’t have to be complicated. Pie pastry can be homemade (recipe here), but a store brought mix works just as well. If you’re going gluten free - Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pie Crust is delicious!
GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE BUTTER TARTS
Ingredients
- 1 bag of gluten-free pie crust mix (like Bob’s Red Mill)
- 2 egg
- 2/3 cup corn syrup
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup butter, softened (I use Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Directions
- Prepare gluten-free pie crust mix according to package.
- In small bowl, cover raisins with hot water and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly grease two large muffin tins (24 muffin molds).
- Roll out prepared pie pastry (1/8-1/4 inch thick) on floured surface and cut out roughly 4 inch circles. You can use a circle cookie cutter, but if you don’t have one the opening of a glass cup will work just fine.
- Fit dough circles into muffin tins and chill in fridge while making filling.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt and stir until butter is creamed.
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
- Drain raisins.
- Pull tart shells out of the fridge, divide raisins equally among the shells and top with butter mixture.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is lightly browned and bubbling. The longer you leave them in the oven the more firm the filling will become. If you like them runny, pull them out closer to 15.
- Cool tarts in the tins for about 10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before serving.
