Butter Tarts (So Very Canadian)

I made these little gems for Canada Day this year and then again a few weeks ago for my husband to take to work with him. Butter Tarts are extremely common in Canada, and not just in an ‘everyone’s Grandmother made them’ kind of way (though everyone’s Grandmother did make them). They are in bakeries and grocery stores all over the country. Then once you take a step into the States, people are all ‘what the hell are Butter Tarts?!’

So I feel the need to make the best butter tarts there ever were in order to educate all our new American friends about Canadian pastry. The best way to describe Butter Tarts to the uninitiated would be that it is very similar to the base of the typical pecan pie minus the pecans. Sort of gooey, but it holds itself together and is very-to-extremely sweet.

Butter Tarts

*your favorite pie crust pastry
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup raisins or chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) I didn’t add any

Preheat oven to 375. Prep your pie crust and line a tray of muffin cups with it. Then cream together the butter and brown sugar.
Add eggs and half & half cream to the mixture and continue mixing for a 3-5 minutes. Then pout into your prepared tart shells.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, check on it after 15 minutes. The filling with cook quickly, you’re looking for the pie crust to brown.