Grandma Beatrice's Prize Butter Tarts

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. Combine brown sugar, raisins, butter, water, maple syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until butter is melted and mixture is warm but not boiling, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool a bit.

3. Meanwhile, use a 4-inch round cutter to cut 12 circles of dough. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with the dough circles.

4. Whisk egg and cream together in a small bowl, then whisk it into the cooled raisin mixture until well combined. Spoon it into the pastry shells, filling each one about 2/3 full.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue to bake, watching carefully, until the pastry edges are delicately browned, about 6 more minutes. Try to catch them before the filling bubbles up and spills over the edges.

6. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before serving.

Cook's Notes:

You can use your own homemade crust instead of refrigerated dough. I always use Chef John's Easy Homemade Pie Crust, a fabulous butter-based pastry found on this site.

A mixture of golden and sultana raisins works well.

If using a dark muffin pan, reduce the heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) in Step 5.