So buttery, sweet, and fruity on a delicious flaky pastry. A Canadian classic.

I have very fond memories of these butter tarts as we arrived after a long, snowy (sometimes treacherous) drive from British Columbia to my Grandma’s house in Alberta. We’d have a big glass of milk and a yummy butter tart.

In the following years, my dad would make them too! I liked to pop some whipping cream on in the ultimate childhood disregard of calories or nutrition!

Perfect!

Best Classic Canadian Butter Tarts Ingredients

Pastry or pie crust shells (I use this recipe)

3 Tbsp Butter

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg lightly beaten

½ tsp Salt

½ Cup Raisin (Presoaked, see notes)

½ tsp vanilla extract

Ready to Make Your Best Classic Canadian Butter Tarts?

First, preheat your oven to 350°F and get your muffin tins out.

Place your raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. This allows them to plump just a bit.

Now, let’s make your crust and pop it in the fridge to chill while you make the filling. I have been making this easy and never-fail processor pastry crust from Canadian Living for twenty years.

Now for the magic that is the butter tart filling. Yes, the base is actually butter. There’s nothing like indulging in my fave flavour!

Pop the room temp butter in a bowl, and add the brown sugar. Beat it in your mixer or even by hand with a whisk would be fine.

I LOVE watching it in the mixer though, because now we add in the egg.

It’s going to start to grow, then we put in the salt and vanilla.

Drain your raisins and pat try on paper towel. Mix in with filling.

Roll out your pastry to about ¼ inch, use a large cup or biscuit cutter to cut out 12 circles.

Place in muffin tin cups. Add about 2 tablespoons of filling.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool on rack.

👇 Print Best Classic Canadian Butter Tarts Recipe

Best Canadian Butter Tarts

Yield: 12

So buttery, sweet, and fruity on a delicious flaky pastry. A Canadian classic.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Pastry or pie crust shells (I use this recipe) https://www.canadianliving.com/food/recipe/perfect-processor-pie-pastry
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg lightly beaten
½ tsp Salt
½ Cup Raisin (Presoaked, see notes)
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F, grease muffin tin

Roll out and prepare pie shells using a large cup or biscuit cutter
Place rounds in muffin tin holes
Start creaming butter, and slowly add brown sugar
Add egg and salt, until light and fluffy. Beat for 5 minutes, scraping down sides as needed.
Add 1-2 Tbsp to each tart shell
Bake 20-25 minutes until browned nicely
Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove to compete cooling.