Dooher's Bakery Butter Tarts

Source: Dooher's Bakery, Campbellford, Ontario, Canada

Pastry:
2 cups pastry flour (or all-purpose flour) (divided)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup lard
2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

Make filling. Set aside.

In bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, salt, shortening and lard until just creamed. Add remaining 13/4 cups flour. Add water, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more as needed. Mix until all flour is incorporated. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into rounds to fit into standard-size muffin pan.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Fill pastry cups 3/4 full with butter tart filling. For runny tarts, bake until pastry is just cooked - about 15 minutes. Bake in preheated oven up to 25 minutes for thicker centers.

Let pan stand on rack 1 minute. Run metal spatula around tarts to loosen; carefully slide spatula under tarts and transfer to rack to cool.

Makes 12.

Filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 to 3 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, cornstarch and vanilla extract in bowl until smooth. Add eggs and mix until smooth.