The rich flavour of a butter tart in this more mindful version of a traditionally Canadian dessert! These are great when baked in smaller tart shell pans. The ratio of crust-to-filling seems perfect.
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| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15-20 minutes |
| Servings |
dozen small tarts
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Ingredients
Buttery Filling
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan butter melted
- 3 Tablespoons plant milk I used oat.
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 - 2/3 cup pecans roughly chopped. Add the larger quantity if you are not using raisins.
- 1/2 cup raisins optional but delicious. Use an organic brand if you can.
Easy Tart Shells
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour or pastry flour
- 1/2 cup vegan butter cold
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup ice water
Ingredients
Buttery Filling
Easy Tart Shells
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Instructions
Tart Shells
- Make your pastry first. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter with your hands, quickly rubbing it until you have a crumb-like mixture. Alternatively, you could use a food processor to combine this. Just be careful not to overprocess.
- Sprinkle the cold water over the bowl of flour/ butter mix and quickly stir to combine, using the least amount of stirring possible. Quickly gather the dough into a ball, wrap and chill for a few minutes to make it easier to work with, or use immediately if you want to.
- When you want to make the tarts, heat oven to 325 degrees F. Have your tart pans ready!
- Between two pieces of parchment paper, half at a time, roll the dough out into a thin circle. The dough should be as thin as possible but intact. Cut it out in rounds that will just fit the outer edges of your tart pans when they are pushed down into place. I used the edge of an upside-down funnel. Don't worry about the edges; just crimp them roughly, as butter tarts are known for this look!
Buttery Filling
- Melt the butter and whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.
- Stir the cornstarch into the plant milk to dissolve.
- Whisk the cornstarch/milk mixture with the butter/sugar mixture until well combined and a little frothy.
- Roughly chop the pecans. Stir in these and your raisins, if using. Remember to use the larger quantity of chopped pecans if you are not using raisins.
- Spoon a mixture of sauce and nuts into each uncooked tart shell. Fill about 2/3 full. Be careful to avoid spilling or overfilling, as this will cause them to stick.
- Bake at 325 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes, cooking until the pastry is well-browned. Check to see if the bottom of a tart is also golden.
- Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes and then gently remove the tarts from the pan before any sauce has a chance to harden and stick to the pan.
- Let sit for a few moments to cool. They will be very soft at first, but if allowed to cool, will thicken perfectly!
- These keep well and can be frozen. They even taste good frozen, but they are wonderful rewarmed in the oven. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This easy recipe can be part of your family kitchen time on a wintery day!
