The Lakehouse Butter Tarts
Featuring a flaky pastry shell and a rich, buttery, caramel-like filling, these Lakehouse Butter Tarts are a nostalgic Canadian treat. Simple to prepare with pantry ingredients, these tarts are perfect for summertime baking.
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in small cubes
- 1 cold egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Filling:
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (soft)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup raisins or chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
Make the Pastry:
- Pour the cold water into a small bowl and place in the freezer to chill while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Cut in the 1/2 cup of cold butter with two dinner knives (or a pastry cutter), until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You want to see small pieces of butter throughout the mixture, about the size of large peas.
- Remove the cold water from the freezer and whisk in the cold egg yolk, and the vinegar. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, and combine using a wooden spoon. Use hands briefly to knead dough together into a ball. Place the ball of dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and flatten it into a disc shape. Wrap the dough up in the plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. (Make ahead: Pastry dough can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge until ready for use. Remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes before using so it will be easier to roll.)
- Lightly grease a standard size muffin pan with 12 cups and set aside. Lay a sheet of wax paper on a work surface and dust generously with flour. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, and with it still wrapped in plastic wrap, gently squeeze with your hands to form a tighter disc. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it in the centre of the wax paper. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until about 1/3” thick. Pat ragged edges or any cracks together with your fingertips. Use a 3 1/2” biscuit or cookie cutter (or drinking glass, or clean can) to cut out 12 circles, re-rolling the dough once if needed. Gently press the circles of dough into the greased muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan in the fridge to keep the dough cold while you prepare the filling.
- Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 425F.
Make the Filling:
- In a medium size mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the vanilla, the room temperature whole egg and the 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Mix until evenly combined.
Assemble the Butter Tarts:
- Remove the muffin pan from the fridge. If using raisins or nuts, scatter a few into the bottom of each tart shell. Using a small spoon, divide the filling evenly amongst the tart shells. Transfer to the oven and bake for 13 minutes for a runnier filling, and 15 minutes for a firmer filling. Remove from the oven and immediately run a blunt knife around the edges of each tart to loosen. Cool in the pan at least 20 minutes, then use the blunt knife to gently lift the tarts out of the pan. Cool completely on a cooling rack, or serve slightly warm. (Make ahead: Tarts are best the day they are made, but can be made up to 8 hours in advance. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days)