Butter Tart with a Twist

Butter tart with a twist is a Brazilian-Canadian version of the classic butter tart. Ours takes, prunes, coconut flakes, and cashew nuts. So good!

Hi there!

I have lived in Toronto for 18 years. This city serves as the backdrop for my entire career as a creator.

Toronto's diversity offers me constant inspiration. I love the historic Distillery District and the aromatic St. Lawrence Market. Over two decades, I watched this city grow and change. Its heart remains a patchwork of unique neighborhoods and culinary perspectives.

As a food blogger, I appreciate the authentic global flavors here. I can find a new world of taste within a single subway ride. Most people know our skyline and the iconic CN Tower. However, my Toronto exists in quiet parks and vibrant food festivals.

I spend my time diving deep into the local food scene. Further, I scout the best ingredients for my recipes. I also connect with the makers who define our city’s palate. These 18 years shaped my approach to cooking and content creation. Toronto is more than my workplace. This community fuels my passion for sharing easy, delicious food with the world.

Butter Tarts

There is one dish - or more precisely, a dessert-- in particular that I would like to share with you. Actually, its Brazilian fusion version: the famous Butter Tart... but with a twist. Just saying these two little words makes my mouth water. Canadians consider this precious culinary jewel so popular and delicious ... They considered it a national dish, along with another dish called Poutine.

Ms. Stephanie Jaworski from Joy of Baking explains:

"Butter tarts are unique to Canada and consist of pastry shells that are filled with a sweet mixture of butter, brown sugar and eggs. Some say Butter Tarts descend from the American Pecan Pie or even the British Treacle Tart, but history neither confirms nor denies these claims. So proud are we of our Butter Tarts that Marie Nightingale tells us in her book 'Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens' that "even today at County fairs there are special awards for the best butter tarts, and this award is vied for and coveted by the winner."

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Now, there are many opinions as to what makes the perfect Butter Tart. What is the best pastry crust? Should the filling be firm or runny and should the filling have raisins or nuts? I know that Butter Tarts are always small, not to be eaten daintily with a fork, but picked up and eaten in a few delicious bites. For me, I like a Butter Tart with a crisp and crumbly tart shell made with a pie crust pastry called Pate Brisee, which is a short crust pastry.

She then added:

I like a filling that is soft but not runny, which means no corn syrup is added and all the ingredients are simply beaten together. I waiver on whether I prefer raisins (currants) or nuts and sometimes I simply use both. As far as the raisins go both the California and Thompson varieties are excellent. If nuts are desired Canadians tend to favor walnuts but Americans may want to use pecans to emulate the pecan pie. These little gems are baked in a fairly hot oven until the crusts have nicely browned and the filling has set. They are excellent warm from the oven, at room temperature, or even chilled."

Since she is Canadian-born, a great baker, and used a trustworthy source (Best of Bridge Publishing. "The Best of Bridge - Royal Treats for Entertaining". Best of Bridge Publishing. Calgary: 1999.), my fusion version had to be based upon her Butter Tart recipe.

I did not change the pie crust recipe one bit. Its ingredients are common to both Brazil and Canada. I adapted the filling in order to create our fusion version. Next, I exchanged the half-and-half for coconut milk. Finally, I also replaced the raisins for both dried prunes and coconut flakes. Next replacement was the walnuts for cashew nuts. All these ingredients are ever-present in Brazilian cuisine.

I do really hope that you enjoy our butter tart version!

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5 from 1 vote

Butter Tart with a Twist

Butter tart with a twist is a Brazilian-Canadian version of the classic butter tart. Ours takes, prunes, coconut flakes, and cashew nuts. So good!

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:Canadian

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories420 kcal

Author Valentina Dimitrova

Ingredients

• For the Pie Crust Pastry:
• 1-¼ cups all-purpose flour 6.2 ounces or 175 grams
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces, 4 oz or 113 grams
• ¼ cup ice water 2 fl. ounces or 60 ml
• For the Butter Tart Filling:
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened, 2.5 oz or 70 grams
• 7.4 oz light brown sugar or 210 grams
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup light coconut milk
• 6 in dried prunes cuthalves
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• ¼ cup cashew nuts chopped

Instructions

• For the crust: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter (distribute equally on the sides) and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Pour in the ¼ cup of water, distributing equally in circles, and process again until dough just holds your fingertips together when pinched. If necessary, add one or two tablespoons of water to the dough.
• Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 60 minutes before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.
• After the dough has chilled, place on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and cut into 12 - 4 inch (10 cm) rounds (to prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll -- always roll from the center of the pastry outwards). Gently place the rounds into a 12-cup muffin tin. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes to firm the dough.
• For the filling: Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C). In the electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla extract. Stir in the cream. Place half of a dried prune in the bottom of each tart shell and a spoonful of the cashew nut and coconut mixture. Then, fill the unbaked tart shells with the filling (2 to 3 tablespoons per shell). Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the pastry has nicely browned and the filling is puffed and set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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Video (How to make the pie crust pastry)

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