These old-fashioned butter tarts are actually both gluten free and lactose free. If you are not lactose intolerant, simply substitute regular butter and milk in the recipe.
Quite some time ago, I shared my traditional butter tart recipe. However, folks have been inquiring about a gluten-free recipe for the tarts so here it is. I won’t repeat my hints and tips for making butter tarts in this posting because the same ones hold true for the gluten-free version so I am directing readers to my original posting for butter tarts for this information.
I don’t like a big glob of thick pastry in my butter tarts. As far as I am concerned, it is the gooey, sweet filling that is the star in these tarts. The pastry is involved just because it is the vessel to hold the filling. So, I use a thin rolled pastry and fit the pastry neatly and tidily into the muffin tin cups.
The pastry, nonetheless, still has to be tender and flaky because it is half the equation in these Canadian culinary delicacies. The gluten-free pastry recipe is the one that I developed and perfected first for my gluten-free apple pie, originally published to my website on January 11, 2018. It is now my go-to pastry recipe since it is perfectly tender and flaky and works well with sweet and savory pies as well as tarts.
As with my traditional butter tarts, you will find that the filling is slightly gooey but not too runny. I don’t care for tarts that, as soon as you bite into them, the filling pours out. The reason why I like a semi-solid filling is that I believe butter tarts should be able to be picked up off a plate and eaten by hand with no need for a plate and fork to catch a runny filling. This, of course, is purely a personal preference.
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
Gluten-Free Lactose-Free Butter Tarts
Ingredients:
For Pastry:
2 cups (276g) gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp sugar
¼ cup cold lactose-free butter (76g)
¼ cup cold lard (76g)
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar
Enough water to make 2/3 cup liquid
For Filling:
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 extra-large eggs, light beaten
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
¼ cup melted lactose-free butter (no substitutes)
2 tbsp lactose-free milk (2%MF or 3%MF)
1½ tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
Dash salt
Method:
For Pastry: Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together. Cut the butter and lard into chunks and add to the flour. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.
In a measuring cup, whisk the egg and vinegar together. Add enough cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork or hands. Add only enough water that the dough clings together and can be gathered into a ball (it may not take all the liquid).
Divide the dough in four pieces. Form disk shapes with each piece. Place disks in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to chill. Remove one disk at a time from the refrigerator and break off chunks, about 2 oz in size, which should give ample for 4” circles to be cut for each tart. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper) lightly dusted with flour. Roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16”and 1/8” thickness. Peel the top piece of parchment from the rolled out pastry. Cut out pastry circles with a floured 4” round cookie cutter.
Carefully transfer each cut out pastry circle to muffin tin cup. Fit the pastry into the cup, ensuring there are no air pockets between the pastry and the muffin cups. Repeat with chilled dough to make enough pastry circles for 12 tart shells, gathering up and re-rolling pastry scraps as necessary. Place pan of tart shells in freezer for about 12-15 minutes to chill to prevent shrinkage of pastry during baking.
For Filling: Preheat oven to 400°F. Add all ingredients, in order given, into a 4-cup measuring cup. Whisk or stir until ingredients are well blended. Remove the muffin cups from the freezer and pour filling equally into the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake tarts for 17-19 minutes or until filling domes and appears set. Let tarts cool at least 30 minutes in muffin tins on cooling rack. Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently lift the tarts from the muffin cups.
Yield: 12 tarts
Gluten-Free Butter Tarts
These gluten-free (and lactose-free) melt-in-your-mouth pastries are filled with a delectable, slightly gooey, but not too runny, buttery rich caramel-like filling. A classic Canadian culinary delicacy.
Ingredients
For Pastry:
- 2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 flour (276g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup cold lactose-free butter (76g)
- ¼ cup cold lard (76g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Enough water to make 2/3 cup liquid
For Filling:
- ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 extra-large eggs, light beaten
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted lactose-free butter (no substitutes)
- 2 tbsp lactose-free milk (2%MF or 3%MF)
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Dash salt
Instructions
For Pastry:
- Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together. Cut the butter and lard into chunks and add to the flour. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.
- In a measuring cup, whisk the egg and vinegar together. Add enough cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork or hands. Add only enough water that the dough clings together and can be gathered into a ball (it may not take all the liquid).
- Divide the dough in four pieces. Form disk shapes with each piece. Place disks in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to chill. Remove one disk at a time from the refrigerator and break off chunks, about 2 oz in size, which should give ample for 4” circles to be cut for each tart. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper) lightly dusted with flour. Roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16”and 1/8” thickness. Peel the top piece of parchment from the rolled out pastry. Cut out pastry circles with a floured 4” round cookie cutter.
- Carefully transfer each cut out pastry circle to muffin tin cup. Fit the pastry into the cup, ensuring there are no air pockets between the pastry and the muffin cups. Repeat with chilled dough to make enough pastry circles for 12 tart shells, gathering up and re-rolling pastry scraps as necessary. Place pan of tart shells in freezer for about 12-15 minutes to chill to prevent shrinkage of pastry during baking.
For Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Add all ingredients, in order given, into a 4-cup measuring cup. Whisk or stir until ingredients are well blended. Remove the muffin cups from the freezer and pour filling equally into the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake tarts for 17-19 minutes or until filling domes and appears set. Let tarts cool at least 30 minutes in muffin tins on cooling rack. Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently lift the tarts from the muffin cups.
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