I admit it. I never had a butter tart until AFTER I was diagnosed with Celiacs. My Mom made these during the holiday season nearly every year. I’m not sure what I thought was in them, but when I was younger, I refused to eat them, and it just stayed that way. After seeing my Mom make them, and my husband drool over them, I decided to give them a try. Now…I try to play the “hey, that’s gluten-free and only for me” card. It doesn’t work at our house, because these little tarts are so delicious, no one keeps their hands off of them.
Butter Tart Filling
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp melted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup re-hydrated raisins (see below)
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Note: To rehydrate the raisins, I put them in a microwave save bowl, cover with water, and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. I then let them sit for 5 minutes, and drain before using. This way, they won’t be dried out and “stealing” liquid from your recipe.
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and beat until well blended. Spoon into tart shells, filling 2/3 full.
- Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven until the filling is set.
The dough I used to make the tart shells, is from a recipe that my friend Tamara contributed to the Holiday Baking E-Book that I compiled in November, 2010. This was my first time trying this dough, and I loved it! It worked fantastically, and held up really well. Not to mention, tasted GREAT! Since I was making tiny bite-sized tarts, I cut small circles, and pressed them into my mini muffin tins using my Mini Tart Shaper from Pampered Chef. It worked really well, a little time consuming, but worth it, I think.
Pie Crust for Anything (9 or 10-inch two-layer crust)
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix (see NOTE)
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 large egg (yes, it HAS to be large)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water
Directions:
- Use stand mixer and non-whisk for best results. Mix flour, shortening, salt and xanthan gum on low speed until mixture is pebbly.
- Add egg, vinegar and 1/3 cup water, mix on low speed until well mixed and dough becomes ball-like. If dough is not soft and pliable, add a few drops of water at a time until it is. This dough feels exactly like the dough you would make with wheat flour, so don’t feel like you have to scrimp on the water. If it takes more than 1/2 cup, oh, well, the weather might be dry. If it’s less, it just might be raining!
- Bake at whatever temperature you need for your filling, from 300 degrees F to 450 degrees F, or on 350 degrees F for 20-22 minutes for pre-baked crust. Although this recipe doesn’t rise, it can bow in the middle, so baking stones are recommended if you are pre-baking the crust. Fruit fillings are best if baked for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
Tip for Pie Crust: Lay plastic wrap out on your counter then put your pie dough on the wrap to roll it out. Do not use flour to keep it from sticking to the plastic wrap: You WANT it to stick! If you use a top sheet of plastic wrap, you do not have to use flour mix on top, it’s an easy clean-up, and you can pick up the crust and lay it into your pie pan without breaking it.
Second tip: Don’t be afraid to pass this recipe to your friends who use wheat flour! Just omit the xanthan gum and use regular wheat flour and a little less water, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup, and it will turn out perfectly every time!
NOTE: Flour Mix (makes 9 cups total):
3 cups brown rice flour (finely ground)
3 cups white rice flour (finely ground)
2 cups potato starch (NOT potato flour!)
1 cup tapioca starch
As long as you make the 3:3:2:1 ratio, you can cut/multiply this down/up to any size. The ratio for 3 cups flour mix is 1:1:2/3:1/3.
I love to bake GF but so far I've only made cakes. Great pie crust recipe.
Nisrine
You are a wonder woman Jeanine..you can make anything gluten free..way to go! Great photo.
What is the note about the raisins? Do you soak them in water?
Thanks
Nisrine, you'll do great with gf baking, if you can do cakes.
Thanks, Betty! I get a lot of help, the internet has a fantastic community of great GF bakers.
Neva, so sorry! Totally forgot to add a note, I've added it now though. Thanks for pointing that out!
Jeanine, my Mom has always made a similar treat. She called them Pecan Sandies. YUM! These look awesome. I cannot wait to try them. And they look so so easy to do. Love this pie crust recipe too!
My friend makes these with gluten and they are my favorite holiday treat that she makes. Now I can make them for everyone at our house.
Kim, Pecan Sandies, huh? Guess different regions have different names. Either way, I'm sure they're both delicious!
Sarah, I'm sure you'll all enjoy these GF ones, no one will know the difference.
Mmm … butter tarts, so yummy.
Thank you for the excellent post and the extra pounds that will surely follow haha!
Ha, let me tell you, food blogging is not good on the waist line! But, everything in moderation.
Ooh, these little tarts could be really addictive. Yum.
@Jeanine
agreed!
O-M-G! Jeanine, this is a fantastic pastry recipe…the best I have ever tried, GF or otherwise. I haven't tried the butter tarts, yet, but it was oh so yummy in my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie today.
9
Mmmmmm!
Hi Jeanine! This is the best gf pastry I have tried! Thanks for sharing. I love that it does not break apart during the rolling out process or transferring it to the pan. My girlfriend tried it and said it did not taste gluten free:) I have used it for meat pies and am now going to use it for jam tarts. Thanks again
I have just found your site…Tried the pastry and yes it was GREAT for gf……I rolled it on my counter with some sweet rice for tarts..It worked well but l wonder if l had enough water as when putting into tins some of the pastery split but fixed dough with alittle water…..maybe l should of used wax paper to roll….anyway the end result was perfect…just like the flour ones l used to make…Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jeanine, you asked on FB for people to comment on any recipes of yours that they tried over the holidays. I made these tarts twice – the first time I followed the pastry recipe exactly and they were good, however, I had used a couple of other GF pie crust recipes that called for butter, or at least half butter and half shortening – liked the butter in the pastry. So……made them again and used half butter, half shortening and only 1/2 tsp. salt. MUCH BETTER!!! Also – used muffin papers and it worked out great – no mess and no problem getting them out of the muffin pans!! Also – used all chopped pecans instead of a mix of nuts & raisins. I put 1 cup of chopped pecans in the tart filling. Wonderful tarts!!!!