Cranberry-Pecan Butter Tarts

By sleeping-giant

Chatelaine March 2010

Ingredients

• Pastry
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tblsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 2-3 tblsp. ice cold water
• Filling
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tblsp. rum or orange juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tblsp. flour
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 24 pecan halves (1/2 cup)

Preparation

Step 1

Pastry
* place flour, sugar and salt in food processor and mix well
* add cold butter - pulse until coarse crumbs form
* add ice water 1 tblsp. at a time pulsing until dough holds together
* may also follow same procedure with a bowl and two forks
* flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic
* refrigerate until cold enough to roll out ( 20 min.)
* oil / spray a 12 cup muffin tin
* lightly flour counter and roll dough out to1/4 inch thick or less
* cut 12 circles with 4" cookie cutter
* ease circles into oiled muffin tin, ruffling edges as needed to fit

Filling
* mix cranberries and rum together and microwave on med-high 30 sec. & set aside
* in another bowl stir brown sugar with flour
* in second bowl add corn syrup whisking in eggs, melted butter and vanilla
* stir sugar mixture into corn syrup mixture and blend well
* set aside and preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C
* place oven rack in lower third of oven
* take shells and place 1 heaping tsp. of rum soaked cranberries in each
* add 2 pecan halves to each shell
* pour corn syrup mixture into shells to fill about 3/4 full
* bake on bottom rack of oven until bubbly and golden - 18-20 min.
* while warm run knife around edges and cool completely in pan
* tarts will keep well at room temperature for 1 day / freeze up to one month