Bird Feed: Toffee Butter Tarts with Shortbread

The cell phone camera strikes again.

I realize that there is a certain sacredness to butter tarts if you're Canadian. Some people are purists - no raisins! no nuts! Some, like my dad, don't care what's in it as long as it's runny and requires skill and finesse to slide it out of the tin and in your mouth before you become a gooey mess. Personally, I'm proud to be a butter tart opportunist. Count me in, nuts or not! Raisins are just wrong in anything other than oatmeal cookies. 


Which brings me to this little culinary adventure. I broke my own rules and changed the butter tart recipe... don't judge, toffee is always worth it. And since I was making these in a mini muffin pan, something about a shortbread crust just seemed right. The overall effect was like butter tarts on crack - upped the sweetness with a little salt with the shortbread, added bite and kick of flavor in the filling. Sooooo worth it. 

Mmmm toffee

This recipe will make between 32-36 mini tarts (sidenote - does this make them "tassies" ?) - although I halved the shells recipe for a reason I could kick myself for and now have leftover butter tart filling in the fridge - I'm hoping to be inspired to use it in something else this weekend. Any suggestions?! Here's the recipe:


Shortbread Tart Shells
Adapted from Joy of Baking


1 cup (227 grams) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (65 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch or rice flour
1/8 teaspoon salt


Lightly butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, 36 miniature muffin tins (approximately 2 inch (5 cm) in diameter). Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. 


In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together (approximately two minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix just until incorporated.  


Divide the dough into 36 even pieces and place one ball of dough in the center of each muffin tin. With your fingertips, press the dough up the sides of the individual muffin tin so there is an indentation in the center. Once filled, place the tart pan, with the unbaked shells, in the freezer for about 10 minutes so the shortbread can become firm. (This will help to prevent the shortbread from puffing up during baking.)


** At this point I'm going to diverge from the JOB recipe - instead of 18-20 minutes of baking, bake for about 10 minutes (since you're going to put them back in the oven later).**


About halfway through the baking time, lightly prick the bottom of each shortbread, with the tines of a fork, if they have puffed up. Check again after another five minutes and prick again if needed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, remove the tarts from the pan. (These may be made in large quantities and frozen.)

Lesson learned - never half a butter tart recipe. You'll eat them all.

Butter Tart Filling

Adapted from Food.com

1/4 cup soft butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

**For toffee tarts, you'll also need a cup of toffee bits**

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup; stir well until sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Retrieve tart shells and divide toffee equally into all shells; then divide butter mixture into all tarts.

Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes; filling will be lightly browned but still bubbling.

Let cooked butter tarts cool in pans for 10 minutes after removing from oven; then remove and place on racks until completely cool.