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Mini Butterscotch Tarts Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 62 reviews

Mini Butterscotch Tarts feature a buttery, flaky shortcrust pastry filled with a rich, creamy butterscotch filling enhanced with vanilla and a hint of sea salt. Perfect for parties or special occasions, these individual-sized tarts offer a luscious caramel-like flavor fused with a crisp texture, making them an irresistible dessert delight.

Ingredients

Scale

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 250 gram Plain / All-Purpose Flour
  • 50 gram Icing Sugar
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 120 gram Unsalted Butter, very cold, cubed
  • 1 large Egg

Butterscotch Filling

  • 250 gram Brown Sugar
  • 90 gram Unsalted Butter
  • 120 ml Thickened / Heavy Cream, warm
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare Shortcrust Pastry: Add plain flour, icing sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add cold, cubed butter and blend until the mixture resembles fine, sandy crumbs. Crack in the egg and mix until the dough comes together. If it’s too dry, add a few drops of ice-cold water until it holds shape when pressed.
  2. Chill and Roll Dough: Gather dough into a ball, place between two sheets of baking paper, and roll out evenly to about 4mm (1/8 inch) thickness. Transfer to a tray and chill in the fridge for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
  3. Cut and Fit Pastry into Muffin Pan: Remove dough from fridge, peel off baking paper and use a round or fluted cookie cutter to cut disks sized to fit muffin cup openings. Gather scraps, re-roll, and chill again before cutting more. Press each disk into muffin cups ensuring no air bubbles, shaping the sides to fit snugly.
  4. Chill Before Baking: Return the muffin pan with pastry shells to the fridge and let chill for at least one hour or overnight for best results.
  5. Prepare for Blind Baking: Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Prick pastry bottoms with a fork to prevent air pockets. Place the pan in the freezer while oven preheats. Cover pastry shells with crumpled baking paper and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
  6. Bake Pastry Shells: Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove weights and baking paper. Return to oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until shells are dry to the touch and fully baked. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Warm Cream: Heat heavy cream in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until warm. Set aside.
  8. Make Butterscotch Filling: In a small saucepan, melt brown sugar and cubed butter over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until fully melted and simmering gently for a few minutes.
  9. Combine Cream and Butterscotch: Carefully pour warm cream into the sugar-butter mixture, stirring continuously to combine until smooth. Cook on low-medium heat for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  10. Finish Filling: Stir in vanilla paste and sea salt, mixing well. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
  11. Fill Tart Shells: Pour hot butterscotch sauce immediately into the cooled tart shells. Tap the pan gently to release air bubbles and level the filling.
  12. Chill and Set: Refrigerate tarts for at least 2 hours, or overnight for best texture, until filling is thick and set.

Notes

  • Use a rolling pin with thickness rings to ensure even dough thickness.
  • If pastry feels too hard from the fridge, let it sit briefly at room temperature before rolling; chill again if it becomes too soft.
  • Large crumbs in pastry yield flakier crust; this recipe prefers finer crumbs to prevent puffing.
  • The butterscotch mixture may appear split initially; continue stirring as it will come together.
  • Use warm cream to prevent sugar crystallization and splattering.
  • Filling starts thin but thickens as it cools, providing the desired texture.
  • Chilling tart shells before baking and freezing during preheating helps maintain shape.

Keywords: Mini Butterscotch Tarts, Butterscotch Dessert, Tartlets, Pastry, Caramel Dessert, Individual Tarts

Find it online: https://bakedbylisa.com/mini-butterscotch-tarts-recipe/