My Grandma loved Butter Tarts. Every Christmas she made them, even at 89 years young! They were a staple dessert at every holiday gathering we attended or hosted.
My Grandma has been passed away for a number of years now and I've been trying to re-create her recipe. She has the recipe written down in 3-4 different places in her hand-written notes, however there are many holes in the recipe. To the best of my taste memory, I think I've been able to piece together an end product close to hers.
My Grandma always used Bee Hive Corn Syrup (this is not an ad) - it is darker in colour, with more molasses-like flavours. Corn syrup is made from the starch of corn, and is used to add a smooth texture, volume and flavour without crystallizing any added sugars. I decided to make this recipe a few additional times using substitutes for the corn syrup (in case anyone wants an alternate syrup that is not high-fructose). Also, corn syrup is a very Canadian product and might be difficult to find elsewhere. First, I made a batch of butter tarts with maple syrup and then I made a second batch using Roger's Golden Syrup, a processed cane syrup. In the end, I preferred the corn syrup because the resulting butter tart was closest to my Grandma's and that was my goal. In my mind, butter tarts happen once a year, so a little bit of high-fructose food syrup is going to be fine. The Roger's Golden Syrup substitute was my second favourite, even though it was a bit sweet for my liking and the maple syrup substitute was my least favourite as it was just too runny. If you are in the UK and can't find corn syrup, Lyle's Golden Syrup is also a close substitute.
From my Grandma to you, I hope you enjoy a little piece of my childhood. Wishing you happy baking and warm holiday memories,
Krista
Grandma's Pecan Buttertarts
(makes 12 tarts or 20-24 minis)
Ingredients
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup golden corn syrup (or 1 cup Roger's Cane Syrup)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pecans, toasted & roughly chopped
1 serving of pie dough (use your favourite recipe or my Grandma always used the recipe on the Tenderflake box!)
Method
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Depending on if you are making full tarts or mini's, spray your muffin tins (mini or regular) with non-stick baking spray. This step is a must as the tarts overflow very easily and stick to the pan.
In a large bowl beat eggs slightly. Add golden corn syrup , sugar, melted butter, vanilla and salt. Stir until blended. Stir in pecans.
Roll out pie dough into a 1/2" rectangle. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut dough into rounds. If you are making mini's cut a 2.5 -3 inch circle, for full size tarts cut a 5 inch circle. Gently place dough rounds into sprayed tin, folding and pinching dough to fit. Stylistically, this is how my Grandma used to make her tarts look different than flat edged tarts (see below picture).
Fill pastry shells 2/3 or the way full and bake 20-25 minutes for minis and 30 minutes for full sized tarts.
Remove from oven and using a knife, go around edges of the tart to loosen away from the tin.
Let tarts sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The filling will deflate a bit once the tarts start to cool.
*Tip: Butter tarts can be very sticky, so my advise is to be aware of filling them to only 1/2 - 2/3 full. It's better to have more at the end, instead of a sticky mess!
*Pictures shown are with Bee Hive Corn Syrup.
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