When I was growing up in Canada, I enjoyed butter tarts on countless occasions — from having dessert after a big family dinner to grabbing a treat from the bakery in town. Recipes vary across the board, whether you’re having a butter tart from a bakery, grocery store, or someone’s prized family recipe. There’s debate as to whether they should be runny or firm and with raisins or not. My version captures exactly what my family has always preferred in a butter tart: a flaky, buttery crust, sweet notes of brown sugar, and a slightly firm-meets-runny filling for the ultimate combination of texture and flavor.
Butter tarts typically have at least a slight amount of runniness to the filling after sitting at room temperature. For a firmer butter tart, store the tarts in the fridge and serve them cold. Butter tarts are most often served on their own, but you can certainly dress them up a bit with a dollop of whipped cream or serve them alongside a scoop of ice cream.
