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Butter tart squares arranged on a wooden board.

Authentic Canadian Butter Tart Squares

Enjoy the classic taste of Canada with these rich, gooey butter tart squares without the fuss of lining muffin tins or rolling out dough. So easy to make with a tender buttery crust and a delicious gooey filling that will satisfy your butter tart craving without any of the stress!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings: 9 Squares
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Crust
  • 113 g unsalted butter room temperature
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 210 g all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon buttermilk or sourdough discard
Butter Tart Filling
  • 150 g brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons powdered milk
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 160 grams light corn syrup or maple syrup (or a mix of the two)
  • 60 grams unsalted butter melted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
  • 75 grams raisins, or chopped pecans or walnuts optional

Method
 

Cookie Crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray an 8 x 8" (20 x 20 cm) baking pan with baking spray, and line with overlapping rectangles of parchment paper.
  2. Add 113 g unsalted butter ad 50 g granulated sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth, light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 large egg yolk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Finally, add 210 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon buttermilk or sourdough discard and beat until smooth.
  3. Dump into the lined pan and press down with your fingers or a drinking glass until compact, level, and smooth. Bake for 18-20 minutes until just starting to get golden.
Butter Tart Filling
  1. While the cookie crust is baking, make the filling. To a medium mixing bowl add 150 g brown sugar, 2 tablespoons powdered milk, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 large eggs, 160 grams light corn syrup, 60 grams unsalted butter (melted), 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.
  2. Pour over the pre-baked cookie crust while it's still very warm. Return it to the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes, or until the filling is set on the edges and slightly jiggly in the middle (see the post above for notes on how to adjust the bake time and ingredients for a firm and chewy or more gooey filling).
  3. Let the pan cool completely at room temperature before lifting the slab out by the parchment slings. Or after cooling completely, refrigerate overnight for cleaner slices. Cut into either 9 large squares (3 rows of 3) or 16 small squares (4 rows of 4).

Notes

The cookie crust is adapted from the "Press-In Cookie Crust" recipe from The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell. I swap out the water in her recipe for buttermilk or sourdough discard, to get some extra tangy flavour and tenderness in the crust. If it wasn't for Erin's book, I would still be struggling to make pie. Her book singlehandedly leveled up my pie baking game, and I highly recommend getting a copy!