Butter Tart Squares

I just found out recently that butter tarts are a Canadian dessert. Wikipedia says that the first recipe for butter tarts was published in the province of Ontario dating back to 1900! It also appeared in the Women's Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Montreal Cookbook from the same era.

It's about time I made some!
But I thought I'd try them in a square.


1 lb pie dough

4 eggs, beaten
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsps vanilla
2 cups raisins

Roll out the dough, and let it rest 5 minutes, then check for size. You want it to be a 10 X 13" rectangle for an 8 X 11" baking dish.  Place it in the dish, press up the sides and flute the edges.

Put it in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes.
Prick it with a fork several times and bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes.  
I forgot to put mine in the fridge so the sides shrunk a bit : (

For the filling simply combine all the ingredients and pour into the pre-baked shell.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

Look at that crispy top and all that gooey sweetness inside!
Because my dough had shrunk I had filling leftover so I did end up making a few mini tarts too. Bake them 15-20 minutes.