These butter tarts have that just-right filling — a little gooey but not too drippy. I like to use golden raisins because they are not as sweet as Thompson raisins.
Note from Anna’s kitchen: Most pie pastry is rolled to less than ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, but in the case of butter tarts, we’ve become accustomed to a slightly thicker crust, possibly to make it easier to negotiate that gooey filling.
Double-Crust Pie Dough
For tasiest results, try the no-fail pie crust recipe from Anna Olson's book, Back to Baking. Otherwise, stick to your go-to pie crust.
Raisin Butter Tart Filling
Pull the pie dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before rolling. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and unwrap the pastry logs. Divide each log into six pieces. Roll each piece to about ¼ inch (6 mm) in thickness, cut with a 5-inch (12 cm) round cutter and line each muffin cup with a piece of dough (the tart shells should come up about ½ inch/1 cm higher than the edge of the muffin cup). Chill the lined muffin tin while preparing the filling.
In a bowl, whisk the sugar, corn syrup, and butter together by hand until combined. Whisk in the eggs, then vinegar and vanilla. Sprinkle a few raisins in the bottom of each muffin cup and pour the mixture over the raisins.
Bake the tarts for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking until the filling starts to dome, about 20 more minutes. Cool the tarts to room temperature in the tin, then gently rotate them to loosen them. Chill the tarts in the tin before removing them onto a serving plate. The tarts will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Yield:
- 12 butter tarts
- Prep Time:
- 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Cook Time:
- 25 minutes
