Gooey Butter Tarts

This post will be a short one. I've been working on an exciting new food-related project that has been taking a lot of my time. I will fill you in as soon as I can - it's a good one!

These little tarts are sure to make anyone feel better after a hard day. They are little bites of gooey, sweet caramel goodness and are a wonderful Canadian staple. The contrast between the flaky pastry and the soft velvety filling makes for the perfect sweet treat at any time of day.

On another note, I got many emails about the glass milk carton I featured in my Coffee Cake post. For any one who would like to purchase it, it's made by Fred and Friends and can be bought on Amazon.com here. It's been a great addition in our kitchen!




Gooey Butter Tarts
Makes 8-10 mini tarts

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) of all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons (100 grams) of very cold butter
2 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons of water
For the filling:
1/2 cup of golden raisins
2/3 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup of butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tbl of light corn syrup
Sift the flour, sugar and salt directly onto a work surface (a cold surface such as marble works best). Cut the butter into small pieces. The butter must be very cold before you add it to the flour. Mix the butter into the flour using a pastry scraper. You can also use your fingers, but work quickly to ensure that the butter stays cold. Once the dough has the texture of coarse sand, create a well in the center by using a cup or glass. Add the egg and water to the well. Using a fork, swirl the egg and slowly incorporate the flour into the centre. Once most of the flour has been incorporated you can start using your hands. Knead the dough into a round ball. At this point, take a small handful of the dough at a time, and, using the palm of your hand, smear it out completely onto the counter surface. This process makes sure that the butter is fully incorporated into the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have a pile of chunks of dough. Gently knead and form into a flat disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take out 10 minutes before using.
In the meantime, make the filling. Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes. Drain well and reserve. In a small saucepan on medium low heat, add the butter and sugar and stir until just melted. Add the corn syrup, vanilla extract and drained raisins. Beat in the eggs and whisk over the heat for 5-6 minutes or until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not overcook.
Preheat your oven to 375F. Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out large circles of dough to fit individual mini tart molds. Butter the molds and gently place the dough inside. Pour in the filling until 3/4 full and bake for 15 minutes. Set to cool on a cooling rack and unmold a few minutes later.