Name: Butter tart
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 12 tarts
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: 250 g all-purpose flour, plus a little for rolling; 2 g fine salt; 170 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed; 70 mL ice-cold water; 2 large eggs (about 100 g without shells), refrigerated; 170 g packed light-brown sugar; 120 mL light corn syrup; 60 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm; 120 g raisins; 5 mL white vinegar; 5 mL pure vanilla extract; 1 g fine salt

A plate of golden raisin butter tarts on a farmhouse table, including one split tart with its sticky centre visible. — Butter tarts have many home-style variations; this batch includes raisins.

Prep 30 minutes

Cook 25 minutes

Total 2 hours 15 minutes

Calories About 350 kcal per tart

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Ontario-Style Butter Tarts with Raisins

Butter tarts are strongly associated with Ontario and are now baked across Canada. A recipe for “Filling for Tarts” appeared in the 1900 Royal Victoria Cook Book in Barrie, although that record does not establish where the broader tradition began. Early and modern versions differ: some use currants or raisins, some omit fruit, and syrups and preferred filling textures vary from kitchen to kitchen.

This home version uses raisins, brown sugar and light corn syrup in a flaky all-butter shell. The syrup helps keep the filling soft, while a little vinegar balances its sweetness. The filling should be glossy and tender, not liquid; it firms as it cools. Chilling the pastry first and avoiding stretched dough help the shells hold their shape.

Practical

Keep the butter cold and stop mixing as soon as the pastry holds together; overworking makes it tough.
Leave a little space at the top of each shell so the filling can bubble without spilling over.
Bake until the crust is golden and the egg filling reaches 74°C at the centre of a test tart.

Ingredients

All-butter pastry

250 g all-purpose flour, plus a little for rolling
2 g fine salt
170 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
70 mL ice-cold water

Raisin filling

2 large eggs (about 100 g without shells), refrigerated
170 g packed light-brown sugar
120 mL light corn syrup
60 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
120 g raisins
5 mL white vinegar
5 mL pure vanilla extract
1 g fine salt

Directions

Method

Make the pastryWhisk the flour and 2 g salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter until you have pea-size pieces and thin flakes. Drizzle in the ice water, tossing with a fork just until the dough holds when pressed. Do not knead. Shape into a flat disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven and prepare the panHeat the oven to 190°C. Set a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly flour the work surface.
Line the muffin wellsRoll the chilled dough to about 3 mm thick. Cut twelve rounds about 10 cm across, re-rolling the scraps once. Ease each round into a well without stretching and press gently into the base and sides. Keep the lined tin chilled while you mix the filling.
Mix the fillingWhisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the corn syrup, warm melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and 1 g salt. Divide the raisins among the shells. Pour in the filling, stopping about 6 mm below each rim.
BakeBake on the sheet for 22–26 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is puffed, with set edges and a slight movement at the centre. Check the centre of a test tart with a clean instant-read thermometer; it must reach 74°C. If needed, bake for 2 minutes more and check again.
Cool and releaseCool in the tin on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Loosen each tart with a thin blunt knife and transfer it to the rack. Cool completely before serving or storing; the filling settles as it cools.

Practical

Serving

Serve at room temperature so the filling is soft but no longer hot. Coffee or unsweetened tea balances the rich sweetness. For a tidy dessert plate, serve one tart per person; no extra topping is needed.

Make-ahead

You can make and chill the pastry a day ahead, or freeze the unbaked pastry disc for up to 2 months and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Baked tarts cool completely, then refrigerate in a covered container within 2 hours. Keep at or below 4°C and use within 3–4 days. Bring only the portions you plan to serve to room temperature, and do not leave egg-filled tarts out for more than 2 hours. Freeze baked, well-wrapped tarts for up to 2 months for best quality; thaw in the refrigerator.

Storage and reheating

To reheat a refrigerated tart, warm it in a 160°C oven until hot throughout; check the centre reaches 74°C. Reheat only once and serve promptly.

Control points

The pastry shrinksIt may have been stretched or warmed. Ease dough into the wells without pulling, then chill the lined pan before filling.
The filling runs overThe shells may be overfilled. Leave about 6 mm of headroom and bake the pan on a rimmed sheet.
The centres seem looseA slight jiggle is normal before cooling, but the centre must reach 74°C. The filling firms as the tarts cool.

Nutrition

Serving size1 tart (about 85 g, estimated)
CaloriesAbout 350 kcal
Carbohydrate48 g
Protein4 g
Fat17 g
Fibre1 g
SodiumAbout 120 mg

These are rounded ingredient-based estimates for twelve tarts. Pastry thickness, egg size and product labels vary; the numbers are not laboratory-tested.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, milk and egg. Some packaged raisins may contain sulfites; check the label if you need to avoid them. Keep eggs refrigerated and wash hands and utensils after handling raw egg. Bake the filling to at least 74°C at the centre of a test tart. Refrigerate the cooled tarts within 2 hours and keep leftovers at or below 4°C.

FAQ

Do butter tarts have to contain raisins?

No. Raisins, currants, nuts or no fruit all appear in different home versions. This recipe includes raisins, but they are not a universal rule.

Can I use ready-made tart shells?

Yes, twelve unbaked standard-size shells can save time. Follow the package handling instructions and begin checking doneness near the lower end of the bake-time range; shell depth and material affect timing.

Why chill the pastry?

Cold dough is easier to roll and less likely to shrink in the oven. Chilling also helps the butter remain in small pieces, which supports a flaky crust.

A classic with room for family preference

Keep the pastry cold and the filling below the rim for neat individual tarts.
This version uses raisins; the wider Canadian tradition includes plenty of raisin-free variations.