Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Prepare the base: Place flour and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl and stir together. Add the butter and rub together with clean hands to create a dough. Transfer the dough into the lined pan, pressing it down to fill the bottom. Set aside.
Prepare the filling: Toss brown sugar, flour and kosher salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Add butter and rub together. Add the egg, cream and vanilla and stir to combine before adding the walnuts and raisins.
Assemble: Pour the filling over the base, smoothing it out across the surface.
Transfer to oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before lifting the square out of the pan. Cool completely before cutting it into smaller squares.
Butter Tart Squares
Ingredients
For the base:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup dark brown sugar, loosely packed
½ cup butter, room temperature ( 1 stick)
For the filling:
1 cup dark brown sugar, loosely packed
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon 35% cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dark Sultana raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Prepare the base: Place flour and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl and stir together. Add the butter and rub together with clean hands to create a dough. Transfer the dough into the lined pan, pressing it down to fill the bottom. Set aside.
Prepare the filling: Toss brown sugar, flour and kosher salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Add butter and rub together. Add the egg, cream and vanilla and stir to combine before adding the walnuts and raisins.
Assemble: Pour the filling over the base, smoothing it out across the surface.
Transfer to oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before lifting the square out of the pan. Cool completely before cutting it into smaller squares.
Butter Tart Squares
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A buttery pastry base topped with that classic mix of butter, eggs, dark brown sugar, walnuts and raisins…
Love butter tarts? Wait until you try these easy-to-make BUTTER TART SQUARES!
Butter tarts have long been regarded as the quintessential Canadian treat. With their flaky buttery crusts and sweet, gooey nut and raisin-filled centres, what’s not to love? Our enduring fondness for them had us wondering if there was a way to rework the process to simplify it, pulling it together in record time. The result: who’s ready for BUTTER TART SQUARES?!
This new take on the classic recipe yields a simple dessert, snack or treat that is as versatile to enjoy as it is easy to make. You’ll love our easy four-step process: make the dough, make the filling, combine the two and bake.
Because this recipe is so wonderful and the finished squares are such a treat, you’ll make them once, then again and again and again. Please remember to PIN the recipe to a favourite PINTEREST board and share the recipe with friends.
No need to grab your muffin or tart pans today friends, instead we’re making BUTTER TART SQUARES.
SNAP SHOT
Like all of our posts that feature an overhead shot of the ingredients, this one is a snapshot of your next easy, must-make dessert. Although a few of the ingredients like the flour, butter and brown sugar appear twice in the recipe, fear not, it’s just to keep the process simple.
One thing to mention about the ingredients – remember to bring the butter and egg to room temperature before you begin. Doing so will help both the pastry base and the filling come together easily.
BASE HIT
You can thank me after you bite into your first square. The pastry base has that hallmark buttery flavour, and this mix of butter, flour and brown sugar bakes perfectly. One of the reasons this recipe works is that the base stays together and supports the gooey filling as you cut the larger square into smaller ones.
NO DEBATE
Most discussions about BUTTER TARTS eventually go to two questions: do you like the filling soft or runny, and do you like nuts and/or raisins? Well, this recipe not only answers those questions but also explains our goal.
The recipe was crafted to give you a new way to enjoy this beloved treat. Although we save time not having to roll out the dough and cut 12 tarts, we did need to adjust things to keep it together. The raisins and walnuts keep the filling firm since we’re cutting squares. Don’t start playing around with this approach, just make the recipe as written and you won’t be disappointed.
FILLING
The filling for our BUTTER TART SQUARES has everything we love most about the original recipe – the perfect level of sweetness and buttery flavour partnered with notes of vanilla and just the right amount of saltiness. Yup, you’re going to taste a mouth-watering combo of salty sweet that may (will) have you going back for seconds.
SO COOL
Nothing to mention about the baking portion of the recipe, although we are suggesting you let the large square cool in the pan for 30 minutes before lifting it out and letting it cool completely. Sorry for the wait, but that’s just the way it goes. It’s so worth it.
ENJOY!
Here’s your opportunity to make the recipe your own – you get to decide the size of the individual squares. Four vertical and horizontal cuts will give you 16 rather large squares. Cutting the square into smaller bite-sized nibbles make for great afternoon or midday treats or something to place on holiday baking trays.
Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Prepare the base: Place flour and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl and stir together. Add the butter and rub together with clean hands to create a dough. Transfer the dough into the lined pan, pressing it down to fill the bottom. Set aside.
Prepare the filling: Toss brown sugar, flour and kosher salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Add butter and rub together. Add the egg, cream and vanilla and stir to combine before adding the walnuts and raisins.
Assemble: Pour the filling over the base, smoothing it out across the surface.
Transfer to oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before lifting the square out of the pan. Cool completely before cutting it into smaller squares.
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