Better butter butter Tarts..We are Canadian!

We are Canadian!

Did you know that butter tarts are Canadian?  They consist of pastry shells that are filled with a sweet mixture of butter, brown sugar and eggs.  The perfect butter tart...well, that is a matter of opinion.  First the crust - it is usually firmer and not the typical flaky crust.  It is a Pate Brisee, which is a short crust pastry.  Then the filling...do you like it firm or runny?  Sometimes there are nuts and sometimes raisins...or plain.  Camera Guy makes faces when there are raisins....He really doesn't like them!

Fern, Camera Guy's mom, loved them! Come back to visit us Fern and I will bake you more!

I was taking a walk with Camera Guy about a month ago - it was during a new season we had this year- Sprinter!  Don't really know what is was because there was little snow and it wasn't cold...but it felt strange...

We were talking about Canadian Awesome moments and came up with a few...what are your Canadian awesome moments?

Holding hands with mittens
Making angels in the snow
Watching big snowflakes falling
And of course - coming into a warm house...then eating a warm butter tart fresh from the oven...

Here is the recipe
It will yeild enough filling for 24 butter tarts.

Crust
1 cup  cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup water

In a food processor combine butter , flour, sugar and salt and process or combine with a pastry cutter.

Add water and combine just until dough holds together.

Press the dough to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 mins

Roll out and cut into 4 inch rounds to fit into standard muffin tins

Fit the pastry into the tins and refrigerate for 10 -15 mins

Filling

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer or whisk, combine eggs , sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, vanilla extract and salt.

Beat until well combined, but not frothy.

Stir in the melted butter.

Place a pecan half in each prepared pastry-lined muffin cup

until the filling is just set and the crust is golden. Make sure to keep an eye on them.

Carefully pour the mixture into each muffin cup, being careful not to fill them more than three-quarters of the way to the top (if you fill them more than that they may overflow).

Put the muffin tin on a baking tray just in case there are spills.

Bake the tarts in the centre of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes 

Remove from the oven and let cool completely, well not completely-you want them a liitle warm....now this is an awesome Canadian moment.

Enjoy!
Until we bake again!
Penny

St.Patrick's Day Cookies - The Luck of the Icing to you!

Lately I have been working on my cookie decorating...in fact I think I am driving Camera Guy a little crazy- icing everywhere-food coloring stains on my fingers, face etc., and cookies cooling everywhere. Then I look at cookie blogs like Sweetopia and Sugarbelle, just to name a few, and I realize I have a long way to go. I keep trying over and over. I finally have Camera Guy trained to eat only the ugly cookies! As I am writing, I just caught him taking one that isn't filled in yet...our first cookie argument! One day they all will be beautiful, but right now - not so good.

I decided to make St. Patrick's Day cookies. It starts with a good sugar cookie recipe- one that doesn't spread a lot and maintains its shape. That is pretty easy. The trick is to roll the dough when it is cool and cut out the cookies when the dough is cool also. Once the cookies are baked, they need to cool completely. That is a lot of cools , but anyhooooo.

Without icing, these cookies are like chips- you can just keep eating them!

Now for the Royal Icing. the recipe is pretty straight forward and everywhere I turn, cookie people talk about the 10 second rule....I watch them move a knife (about an inch deep) through the icing and it makes a line, then you are supposed to count until 10 and only then, not before, the icing should disolve together.

I think this is used to outline because when you fill in or "flood" a cookie with this consistency I can't get it smooth - even with shaking it! Flood consistency should make a very smooth surface. I think I need the 5 second rule for my flooding!

First I outlined them with a disposable pastry bag and a number 2 tip, then I filled them in.

On some I used a squeeze bottle to flood them. I liked it.

Check out the little tag on the sidebar for the University of Cookie! Maybe one day I will be a cookie professor:)

I had fun doing these. I will keep you posted on my cookie developments. In the meantime here is the recipe I used for the sugar cookies and for the Royal Icing.

Get away from the cookies Camera Guy until I take pictures of them all! I would also like to clear up something. Camera Guy doesn't take my baking photos...I do! He may take the occasional one, but this kind of photography is just not his thing. He bought me a camera so I don't grab his professional cameras and lenses with my floury, buttery hands...that's ok...I understand....I still love him.

Happy St. Patick's Day Everyone!

Until we bake again....
Penny