Butter tarts

If you ask Canadians about their favourite dessert, these little tarts with their irresistibly creamy filling will probably rank somewhere at the top. The traditional recipe can vary widely between one family and the next, with some adding raisins, pecans or walnuts to the filling.

Makes 12

For the dough:

½ cup (125 g) cold butter

1½ cups (220 g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

¼ cup (60 ml) iced water

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

For the filling:

¼ cup (60 g) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200 g (7 oz) muscovado sugar

1½ tbsp vanilla sugar

1 pinch salt

1 large egg

For the dough, finely dice the butter. Transfer the flour and diced butter to a mixing bowl and rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water, egg yolk and vinegar and knead until the dough just comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

For the filling, whisk the butter, muscovado sugar, vanilla sugar and salt until light and creamy. Add the egg and stir until the mixture is well combined.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease a 12-hole muffin tin and line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll out two-thirds of the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1 cm (½ inch) thick. Use an 8 cm (3¼ inch) cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles. Transfer the circles to the muffin tin. Divide the filling among the bases. Roll out the remaining dough and use a cookie cutter or small sharp knife to cut out 12 leaves. Place the leaves on the baking tray. Bake the tarts and pastry leaves on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.

Set the tarts and leaves aside to cool for 10 minutes. Slide the handle of a teaspoon around the edges of the tarts to release from the tin. Top each tart with a pastry leaf. Leave to cool completely. These are best eaten on the day they’re made.