These bourbon pecan butter tarts are a twist on the traditional butter tarts. This recipe has a touch of bourbon whiskey in it, which gives an extra caramel flavour to them!
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🥃Butter Tarts with a Bourbon Twist
I am Canadian and love butter tarts, our national sweet treat! I made a twist on the traditional butter tart recipe, to make bourbon pecan butter tarts.
Bourbon whiskey has a caramel taste to it, which works so well with these tarts. If you are worried about the whiskey, the alcohol gets baked out of these and only the taste remains. If you can't use whiskey, try my regular butter tart recipe. There's no alcohol in them.
These tarts are a perfect treat for fall. They look very fall-like too with their rustic appearance!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Bourbon - If you can't bake with alcohol, use my regular butter tart recipe.
- Unsalted butter - You can substitute with salted butter. Omit the extra butter in the recipe.
- Lemon juice - Use fresh lemon juice for this recipe for best flavour.
- Pecans - Use pre-cut pecan halves for this recipe to save time.
🔪Instructions
Tart Dough
Whisk flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Add cold butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter or a fork to work the butter into the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour mixture until butter is well distributed and the butter is about the size of peas.
Mix the water and milk together in a small bowl. Add the to the dough a bit at a time. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to fold the water into the dough. You want to keep adding the liquid until the dough clumps together. Break the dough into 2 pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
When ready to make the tarts, roll out dough on a floured surface, about ¼-inch thick. Cut 5-inch circles out of the dough and line each greased muffin cup with the pastry. Line it so that the pastry comes about ½-inch higher than the muffin tin. Chill the pastry lined tin while you prepare the filling.
Butter Tart Filling
In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, bourbon, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt together. Fill the tarts with the butter tart filling about ¾ full. This recipe will make 12-15 tarts.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F (205°C), then reduce oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, rotating muffin tin half-way through. Tart filling should be bubbling and crust edges will be browned.
Remove tarts from the oven and add 4 pecan halves on top of each of the tarts fillings. Cool the tarts while in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Use a knife to run it around the edges of each tart, twisting them to prevent sticking. Keep the tarts in the pan until fully cooled.
✔️Expert Tips
- You can use store bout tart shells. They will still taste amazing!
- If you want the pecans in the filling instead of on top, you can add the pecans in the tart shell before pouring the filling. Pour the tart filling over top of them.
- If you can't bake with alcohol, use my regular butter tart recipe.
- If you can't eat nuts, add raisins instead!
💭FAQs
Keep butter tarts at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 3 days. You can store them in the refrigerator after that for up to 2 more days.
Yes, these can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Butter tarts are objects of cultural pride across Canada. There are butter tart festivals and tours in many communities throughout Canada.
🔖Related Recipes
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Bourbon Pecan Butter Tarts
Ingredients
Tart Dough
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold
- 3 tablespoons water cold
- 3 tablespoons milk cold
Butter Tart Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room tempertature
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans halved
Instructions
Tart Dough
- Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Add cold butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter or a fork to work the butter into the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour mixture until butter is well distributed and the butter is about the size of peas.
- Mix the water and milk together in a small bowl. Add the to the dough a bit at a time. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to fold the water into the dough. You want to keep adding the liquid until the dough clumps together.
- Break the dough into 2 pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- When ready to make the tarts, roll out dough on a floured surface, about ¼-inch thick. Cut 5-inch circles out of the dough and line each muffin cup with the pastry. Line it so that the pastry comes about ½-inch higher than the muffin tin. Chill the pastry lined tin while you prepare the filling.
Butter Tart Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
- In a large bowl whisk melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup, bourbon, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt together.
- Fill the tarts with the butter tart filling about ¾ full. This recipe will make 12-15 tarts.. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, rotating muffin tin half-way through. Tart filling should be bubbling and crust edges will be browned.
- Remove butter tarts from the oven. Add 4 pecan halves on top of the filling for each tart. Cool the tarts while in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Use a knife to run it around the edges of each tart, twisting them to prevent sticking. Keep the tarts in the pan until fully cooled.
- Store the butter tarts at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- You can use store bout tart shells. They will still taste amazing!
- If you want the pecans in the filling instead of on top, you can add the pecans in the tart shell before pouring the filling. Pour the tart filling over top of them.
- If you can't bake with alcohol, use my regular butter tart recipe.
- If you can't eat nuts, add raisins instead!
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️