best butter tarts

By JimMac

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• Icewater
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon vinegar
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk flour with salt. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until in coarse crumble with a few larger pieces.

In liquid measure, whisk egg yolks with vinegar, add enough ice water to make 1/3 cup. Sprinkle over flour mixture, stirring briskly with fork, until pastry holds together. Press into disk, wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about one hour


Filling: In a bowl whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, butter, vanilla, vinegar, and salt. Set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 4 inch round cookie cutter cut out 12 circles, re-rolling scraps once. Pat circles into muffin tins. Add chopped pecans. Bake in bottom part of oven at 350° until the filling puffs and the pastry is golden, about 12 min. Let stand on rack for 1 min. Run metal spatula around tarts to loosen; transfer to rack and let cool.