Really Gooey Butter Tarts

In honour of todays Butter Tart Festival in Midland, Ontario today here is a recipe for your own butter tarts. I used the No Fail Pastry from this blog.  I am a no raisins in my butter tart person so I just used 3 to 4 full pecans per tart for this.  You could add the raisins, or used chopped walnuts or put in raspberries…experiment and have fun! I mad a mistake and didn’t line the tart tins with parchment paper - this makes it very hard to get the tarts out without breaking the pastry….next time I will line them.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in 8 pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut in 8 pieces
1/3 cup cold water
2 tbsp white vinegar

1. Ina bowl, combine flour and salt.  With a pastry blender or fingers, cut in butter and vegetable shortening until mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Combine water and vinegar and sprinkle over flour mixture a little at a time tossing together with a fork until the pastry is moist enough to hold its shape when a little piece is pressed between the fingers.
3. Gather pastry into a ball - it should not feel sticky.
4. Flour the counter or pastry board lightly.  With a floured rolling pin, roll the pastry out into a rectangle approximately 8 x 12 inches.  Fold the pastry into thirds like a letter.  Turn the dough so the open edges face you and roll out into a rectangle again.  Repeat this procedure again.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill one hour.
5. For smaller pies, use half the dough, larger ones need two thirds or all of it.  Freeze any remaining dough for another occasion.  Dough should bee rolled 1/4 inch thick

1 cup corn syrup

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 chopped nuts

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/ cup raisins

Line tarts tins with pastry.  Mix corn syrup and brown sugar in saucepan.  Cook gently for 5 minutes; cool slightly.  Pour over beaten eggs slowly - otherwise it will cook the eggs.  Beat continuously, adding butter and salt.  Put nuts and raisins - or whatever you are filling your tarts with in the tarts and pour the filling over to make the shells 2/3 full.  Bake 10 minutes in 450 F oven; reduce heat to 350F and bake until set, about 15 to 20 minutes.