Old Fashioned Butterscotch Tart Recipe
Flaky, all-butter golden pastry filled with a delicately spiced sweet filling, baked until crisp and aromatic.
Ingredients
- • ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- • 280g unsalted butter (1 ¼ cups)
- • 170ml whole milk (2/3 cup)
- • 280g light brown sugar (1 1/3 cups + 1 tbsp)
- • 6 tbsp plain flour
- • ¼ teaspoon salt (optional – for a salted butterscotch tart)
- • 275g plain flour (2 cups)
- • 125g unsalted butter (cold, cubed) (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
- • 3 tbsp sugar
- • 1 large egg
- • 1-2 tbsp cold water
Preparation Steps
To make the pastry, first add the flour and butter to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can also rub together the flour and butter with your hands if preferred (just make sure they’re cold).
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar and whisk briefly by hand to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the egg and 1 tbsp of the water. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on a slow speed until it just starts to come together into a dough. If the dough is still looking too dry and crumbly, add the second tablespoon of water. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a fork to bring everything together.
Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. Don’t handle it more than you need to here or you may overwork the dough.
Wrap the dough ball in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to approximately 0.5cm in thickness. Lay it over a 23cm fluted tart tin then push it down into the base and sides with your hands so it closely lines the tin. Cut away any loose edges, but leaving an overhang of about an inch or so.
Prick the base of the pastry a few times with a fork, then place in the fridge to chill for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry, then cover with baking beans.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beans and paper and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and starting to go golden around the edges.
Whilst the pastry is still hot, carefully slice away the excess pastry with a sharp knife so you have a nice flat edge.
Leave the tart case to cool whilst you prep the filling. First, mix the flour with half of the milk to form a smooth paste. Set this aside.
Add the butter and the other half of the milk to a large saucepan and heat on a medium setting until the butter has completely melted.
Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add the flour paste and stir well. Cook until just starting to bubble and thicken – about 6-8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. If adding salt, stir this through now. Then cover the pan with a lid and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Pour the butterscotch into the prepared pastry case and let it cool to room temperature.
Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Once ready to serve, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Drizzle the chocolate all over the top of the tart.
Slice up and enjoy!