The ultimate (raisins optional) butter tart recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my butter tarts soggy? ›

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!

Next time you make butter tarts, mix the filling by hand, as overmixing incorporates air into the eggs, which causes the filling to rise and overflow, and then collapse when removed from the oven.

Whisk brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, egg, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl; pour mixture evenly over raisins and walnuts into tart shells. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is set and crust is golden, about 35 minutes.

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).

Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar.

Brush Your Pie in Egg Wash

Once you've pre-baked your pie, brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg wash, then reheat at 400° for 4 minutes to set the glaze. This creates a seal between the crust and the filling so that your crust stays crispy and golden once the filling is added.

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.

Spoon into unbaked tart shells, filling about 2/3 full. 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.

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.

Get this item with your grocery order. Our Butter Tart mix strikes all the right notes of sticky and buttery sweetness while remaining convenient to prepare. With no artificial flavours or colours, simply add water and butter to the mix, cook and stir on your stove top for 10 minutes.

Should butter tarts have raisins? ›

Raisins - I add raisins in my butter tarts but you can omit them completely or use currants or chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds instead. You could even try chocolate chips!

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.

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.

If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. 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.

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.

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.)

Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White

Adding a layer of corn syrup or a slightly beaten egg white before pouring in the filling will form a seal between the pie dough and the filling and will help make the crust crisp and flaky.

Soggy bottoms

This normally happens when the oven is not hot enough or the pastry is not baked for long enough. However, it can also be because too much water was added to the dough.