Pecan Butter Tarts are bite size pies with a flaky crust and creamy butter tart filling made of pecans, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.
This holiday season, swap your Old Fashioned Pecan Pie for these quintessential Canadian buttery tarts instead! Easy sweet, and bite-size, these mini Pies are a perfect treat for any special occasion. For more tiny pecan pie treats, try Pecan Tassies or Pecan Pie Bars too!
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Sabrina’s Pecan Butter Tarts Recipe
These sweet Pecan Butter Tarts are simple to make with just a handful of pantry ingredients. Unlike a lot of dessert recipes, there’s no need to bring your ingredients to room temperature. The most prep work you will need to do is freeze the butter, the key to a flaky pie crust. You will need to set aside time to chill the dough for the tart shells for at least 4 hours, but if you forget just swap in a store bought pie crust and you are good to go.
If you’ve never had them before, you may be wondering what butter tarts taste like. The best way to describe Pecan Butter Tarts they taste like a cross between pecan pie and sugar pie. The filling is sweet and light, and not quite as thick because it doesn’t have cornstarch or flour. The pecan filling has a caramel flavor and the buttery crust simply melt in your mouth.
There is debate on whether old fashioned butter tarts should have mix-ins like pecans or raisins but that’s the beauty of making them at home! You can make Pecan Butter Tarts to your preference, without having to adjust the baking time. Try swapping in raisins for the pecans, or other nuts and dried fruit, or just leave them out entirely. We have some great variations later in the post that you might like!
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Ingredients
- Pecans: Adding ¾ cup of chopped pecans to this Canadian Butter Tart recipe gives them a nice earthy crunch to balance out the pillowy soft sweetness of the brown sugar mixture. You can use regular pecans or try toasting them in a dry skillet beforehand for a deeper earthy flavor.
- Pie Crust: The homemade pastry for these Pecan Butter Tarts is a basic pie crust made with ¼ cup water, ½ cup frozen butter, 1 ¼ cups flour and ¼ teaspoon salt. Instead of egg, the water is what binds the dough together for a lighter, flaky texture versus a richer short crust pastry. It’s important to use ice cold water and frozen butter for a flaky, light crust!
- Brown Sugar: The ¾ cup brown sugar helps give more sweetness to the filling as well as thickens the egg and corn syrup mixture.
- Eggs: The 2 eggs give the filling a creamy, custard type texture. Don’t overmix, just fold everything until combined, because too much mixing creates air which could make your tarts runny.
- Corn Syrup: What makes these buttery tarts so gooey and soft, without being runny, is the ¼ cup corn syrup. If you want a deep molasses flavor, try swapping in dark corn syrup for the light syrup.
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Kitchen Tools & Equipment
Muffin Tin: You’ll need a regular 12 cup muffin tin to make these small tarts. You could also make miniature bites, but you’ll want to reduce the cooking time.
Food Processor: The key to a flaky crust is to keep the butter as cold as possible so using a processor lets you mix the dough without handling it too much.
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How to Make
Time needed: 4 hours and 35 minutes.
- Prepare the Pie Crust
Pulse the flour, salt, and frozen butter in a food processor a few times to start combining. Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time through the chute as you pulse until pea size crumbles form. Pour the dough crumbles onto plastic wrap and press quickly into a large ball. Don’t handle too long or the butter in the dough will melt. Refrigerate the dough for 4 hours.
- Shape the Tart Crusts
Once chilled, roll dough out and cut 12 circles with a 4 inch cookie cutter. Spray a muffin tin generously then line each well with dough. Refrigerate or freeze while making the tart filling.
- Prep for Baking
Preheat your oven. Fill each tart shell with 1 tablespoon of pecans. Return the muffin pan to the fridge.
- Make the Filling
Whisk brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in eggs, salt, and vanilla until just combined. Gently fold in the remaining pecans.
- Fill the Tart Shells
Fill each tart shell 2/3 full with pecan mixture. Don’t overfill, you may have extra filling.
- Bake the Tarts
Bake the tarts until bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes! You can prep the tarts completely then cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge. The next day, pop them in the oven as usual, adding a couple minutes of baking time as needed.
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Nutritional Facts
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Tips & Tricks for Pecan Tarts
Why are my butter tarts runny?
The most common mistake when making butter tarts is mixing the filling too much. You want to mix in the eggs until just combined so you don’t whip too much air into the eggs. Too much air will cause the center to puff and deflate without creating that crunch crust on top that holds the tarts together.
Knowing when Pecan Tarts are done
The cooking time for Pecan Butter Tarts can vary depending on your oven and how firm you want the center. Butter Tarts are done when the filling is bubbling and the edges of the crust are golden brown. If you want a firmer center, cook until the edges of the filling are set but the middle is still soft. They will fully set as they cool.
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How to Store
Serve: Let the tarts cool a bit before removing from the pan. Serve them warm, at room temperature or chilled. The warmer they are, the softer the filling will be so if you like a firm center, chill first.
Store: Keep them in an airtight container, using parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking. They will stay good at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Freeze: Place room temperature tarts on a baking sheet and freeze for one hour. Transfer frozen tarts to freezer bag or other airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months and reheat in the oven to re-crisp the crust.
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Ideas to Serve Pecan Butter Tarts
Fans of making mini pies instead of whole pies during the holidays, this is a recipe you are going to love! Even easier than Mini Pumpkin Pies, these little tarts are great for parties, cookie platters, and your Thanksgiving dessert table. They bake in under 20 minutes and they don’t need hours in the fridge to set. And just like any holiday treat, they are even better with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream.
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Frequent Questions
Butter Tarts are a popular and well-loved Canadian treat of a butter, sugar, corn syrup, and egg mixture baked in a pie crust. The filling stays soft without being runny and the top caramelizes as it bakes for a crunchy, sweet layer. This recipe gives you heavenly bite-sized butter tart flavor with an extra crunch from chopped pecans.
The difference between Pecan Tarts, also known as Pecan Pie Bites, and Pecan Butter Tarts comes down to one ingredient. Pecan Tarts are made with cornstarch so they are thicker and chewier. Canadian butter tarts on the other hand have a softer filling.
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , frozen and diced
- 1/4 cup ice water
Filling:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup pecans , chopped
Instructions
Pie Crust:
- Add the flour, salt, and butter to a food processor and pulse, adding the water (I spoon the water directly out of the cup of ice water directly into the food processor to make sure it is still ice cold) through the chute one tablespoon at a time until the dough begins tiny crumbles (don’t let it become a ball).
- Empty it into a sheet of plastic wrap and press it quickly into a ball (you don't want the heat of your hands to melt the butter) and refrigerate for 4 hours before rolling it out to use.
- Roll the pie crust out 1/4" thick.
- Cut into 4" circles and line in a 12 cup muffin tin that you've sprayed with baking spray.
- Keep muffin tin in the fridge while you make the filling.
Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Add 1 tablespoon of pecans to each well.
- In a large bowl whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, until smooth. Then stir in eggs, salt, and vanilla until combined. Fold in the remaining chopped pecans.
- Pour the mixture into the muffin tins until they're about 2/3 full (there may be a bit of extra filling).
- Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Remove carefully from muffin cups.
Nutrition
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Variations
Raisins: Since these are your tarts, you can add raisins all you want! Either do half pecans and half raisins, or swap the nuts out completely. You can use regular raisins or golden raisins.
Chocolate Chips: Add ½ cup mini chocolate chips to the filling with the pecans or in place of them. Since the tarts are small, it’s best to use mini chips so they distribute more evenly.
Maple: For a sweet maple custard, use ¼ cup maple syrup instead of the corn syrup. Use real maple syrup for maximum flavor.
Other Mix-Ins: Crispy, salty bacon pieces would taste amazing with the caramel flavor of the tarts. Instead of raisins, you could use other dried fruit like dried cranberries, apricots, or peaches, chopped into bits. Trade pecans for chopped walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts.
Tart Shells: You can buy tart shells to save yourself time and clean up with this recipe. The pastry shells can usually be found in the freezer section and they come in individual disposable pans to bake in.
