I grew up eating butter tarts around the holidays and to this day, they remain one of my favorite treats this time of year.  The recipe (courtesy of my Grandma) is simple to make and delicious.  Warning: the main ingredients are lard, butter, and sugar, so these are something you will want to share and not eat all by yourself.  Today I baked a tonne and I’m planning to give most of them away, but will keep a few at home for snacking and to serve when entertaining over the next couple of weeks.  They freeze well so you can bake in advance, then take them out of the freezer the night before you plan to serve them.

Ingredients:

Tart Shells:
I make 12 regular-sized tart shells using Tenderflake lard and the pastry recipe on the back of the box.  It’s great and easy.  All you need is flour, salt, water, vinegar, and an egg.

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cups currants
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush tops of tart shells with egg white mixed with a little bit of water and white sugar.
Mix all ingredients together and spoon into tart shells (place them in regular-sized muffin tins).
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool completely before removing from pan (for real, I’ve made the mistake of trying to take them out too early and that was a mistake – they crumble).

Happy Baking!

xoxo
Karine