A Canadian twist for your holiday treat table

Cranberry Maple Butter Tarts
Sue Soderman, P.H.Ec. with Pat Moynihan Morris, P.H.Ec. and Olga Kaminskyj, P.H.Ec.
Excerpted from Homegrown, by Mairlyn Smith. Reprinted with permission of Whitecap Books, 2015.
 
“Butter tarts always bring back memories of holidays at our family cottage on Lake Huron in Grand Bend, Ontario. We could not arrive without a dozen gooey butter tarts that we bought on our way up. It didn’t matter if they got a little mushed during the trip, they still tasted just as good. This recipe is a tribute to that food memory, without the mushed up part.” --Sue

INGREDIENTS
 
Pastry
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) light cream cheese, softened
 
Tart Filling
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped dried cranberries
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp (1 mL) iodized salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
1 omega-3 egg
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pure vanilla extract

METHOD
 
A new spin on the quintessential Canadian tart renowned throughout the colonies.
 
1. Pulse together flour, butter and cream cheese in a food processor until mixture is well blended and starts to form a ball. Shape into ball with hands, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled.
2. When the pastry is ready to roll out, preheat oven to 375ºF (190°C).
3. Place pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4-inch (6 mm) thickness. Cut into 12 rounds with a 4-inch (10 cm) cutter. Place rounds into a 12-muffin-cup pan and gently press into each
muffin cup to line. Evenly divide the cranberries and place in the muffin cups.
4. In a large bowl, cream butter, add brown sugar and salt and beat in until smooth. Add egg and lightly beat until mixture is well blended and smooth.
5. Gently stir in maple syrup and vanilla until well incorporated.
6. Fill pastry cups three-quarters full with filling mixture.
7. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan before transferring tarts to a wire cooling rack.
 
Makes 12 tarts
One serving = 1 tart
Per serving: 264 Calories, 14.6 g Total Fat, 8.8 g Saturated Fat, 0.7 g Trans Fat, 110 mg Sodium, 30.7 g Carbohydrate, 0.7 g Fibre, 17.3 g Sugars, 15.8 g Added Sugars, 3.5 g Protein Carbohydrate Choices: 2