Humble Pie Bakery's Infamous Butter Tarts

This is Chef Wesley Edwards's original, runny butter tart recipe. Use a nonstick muffin tin for ease of removal, otherwise butter the tins. Freezing butter tarts for 5 minutes after cooling makes removal from the tins easier. A Canadian tradition at it's best!

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 12-14 Tarts

Ingredients

• Pastry

• 1 1⁄4 cups vegetable shortening
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• 4  cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄4 cup cold water

• Filling

• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2  eggs
• 1 1⁄4 cups corn syrup
• 1⁄2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream shortening and butter together by hand or with electric mixer. Sift in flour and salt. Mix until crumbly. Stir in enough cold water to make a soft dough. Knead together for 30 seconds or until dough comes together.
3. Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper, until 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch circles to fit muffin pans. Ease into muffin pans. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add vinegar, vanilla, eggs and corn syrup. Don't over-mix. Chill for 30 minutes. Stir together before filling tarts.
5. Fill each pastry shell with 1 tsp raisins. Spoon about 1/4 cup syrup mixture into every cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack. The tarts take approximately 2 hours to set; refrigerate to speed up the process. With a small, sharp knife cut around tarts and ease out of tins.