Homemade or store-bought butter tarts were the quintessential Canadian desserts.
In Canada, you can’t go into a local bakery or even a grocery store’s baked-goods section without finding butter tarts. Though it’s possible to make these incredible tiny treats from scratch, there’s nothing like buying one from a bakery for a snack — and in the US, I haven’t seen the treat for sale.
The quintessential Canadian dessert has a flaky tart crust, similar to a pie, and a gooey, runny filling that tastes like brown sugar and maple.
Some bakers add raisins, pecans, or walnuts, but many people love the original filling on its own. It’s one of those treats for which every family has their own signature recipe that they consider to be the absolute best.