I had perfected my butter tart recipe over the years, so when the challenge came to adapt it for folks following a gluten-free diet, I felt like I knew what I needed to change.
Replacing the flour in the pastry: This seems like the most obvious thing. I switched out the all-purpose wheat flour for a 1 to1 gluten-free baking blend (the one used here is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour). However, the blend is rice flour based, which led to three additional updates to the recipe:
Adding toasted crushed pecans to the pastry: Baked rice flour doesn’t have the same depth of flavour that baked wheat flour has, so to add that warm, toasty dimension I’ve included toasted and crushed pecans to the blend. A small amount is all you need, as too much will affect the structure of the pastry.
Adjusting the fat, protein, and liquid ratio: Speaking of structure, the baking blend resulted in a crumbly, very crisp crust which was pretty distracting, so I adjusted it to be more tender. I changed the amount and blend of fat (which is a mix of shortening and butter), added an egg, and increased the amount of water in the dough. This resulted in an easy-to-handle dough that you *press into the baking tins*. Due to the lack of gluten, you will not be able to roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
Updating the consistency of the filling: Yes, some people prefer a runny butter tart while others prefer the jammy ones. This crust will always be on the crumblier side, so a filling that helps provide structure for the tart will be appreciated by everyone (and their clothing). This filling will set into a jam-like consistency and will help hold the tart together after the first bite.
Remember, you are pressing the pastry into muffin tins, and overall you’re going to find that the pastry will be crumblier – whether you’re handling it or eating it. But also expect a decadent, delicate, and flavorful bite that will rival the more typical butter tart.
Enjoy!
Amazing gluten-free pecan butter tarts
Course: Dessert, SnacksDifficulty: Easy12
medium tarts30
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- Pastry
4 1/2 cups 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend (Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour was used in this recipe)
2 tbsp toasted crushed pecans
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup shortening, room temperature, plus extra for greasing tins
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water
- Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups golden corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup pecan pieces
Directions
- Pastry
- Place gluten-free flour blend in a large bowl. Blend with salt and crushed pecans.
- Place shortening and butter into the bowl. Using a pastry knife, cut the shortening and butter into the flour to blend. The mixture should have pea-sized clumps.
- Beat egg with water in a small measuring cup and sprinkle into the flour mixture.
- Stir the mixture by scooping with your hand to distribute the moisture evenly. Knead the dough by punching it into the bowl and folding it for a minute. Due to the gluten-free blend, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to form a dough ball that holds its shapre. The dough is ready if it forms easily into a shape if a handful is squeezed in a fist.
- Cover the bowl and set aside for at least half hour. It can be stored in the fridge overnight, but bring it back to room temperature before using.
- Filling & Baking
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease muffin tins and set aside.
- Cream brown sugar, butter and salt together in a medium bowl until a paste forms. Add corn syrup, white vinegar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well.
- To assemble tarts, separate the dough into the prepared muffin tins and press into the bottom and sides so that the pastry shells are formed.
- Fill each shell with the syrup mixture until almost full. Add pecan pieces on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Cool tins on a wire rack until the syrup centres are fully set. Use a sharp knife to pry each tart out of the tins.