Try George Brown's butter tart recipe for Canada Day

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When you think of a quintessentially Canadian treat, the butter tart is often the first thing that comes to mind.

Butter tart recipe

Yield: 12 tarts

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (125g) butter

1/4 cup (65ml) cold water

2 tsp (8g) brown sugar

1/2 tsp (2g) salt

Butter Tart Filling

3/4 cup (160g) brown sugar

1/2 cup (160g) maple syrup

1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted

2 eggs

3/4 tsp (3g) salt

1/2 cup (75g) raisins

1/2 cup (55g) chopped walnuts

 

Method

  1. Rub the butter into the flour until reduced to irregular pea-size crumbs.
  2. Dissolve the sugar and salt in cold water. Add all at once to the flour and butter and mix just enough to incorporate. Do not over mix.
  3. Transfer the dough to lightly floured surface and then shape into a thick roll. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator to rest for at least 20 minutes before rolling.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch round cutter, cut out 12 circles.
  5. Fit the dough circles into each of the 12 cups in a muffin pan, gently pressing the dough into the corners of the pan. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
     
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  7. Whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, eggs, and salt.
  8. Divide the raisins and walnuts equally among the prepared pastry shells.
  9. Spoon the filling mixture into each shell, leaving an edge of about 1/4 inch of dough at the top.
  10. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and filling is set in the middle, about 25 minutes.